When it comes to protecting your teeth, your oral hygiene is key to preventing threats you encounter during the day. Regularly brushing and flossing clears away bacterial plaque that can cause cavities and lead to painful infections. But what can you do to protect your teeth while you sleep? If you suffer from a nightly grinding habit, you may be wearing away the protective enamel layer of your smile each time you go to sleep. Even worse, you may be unaware of this habit until it has already caused significant damage. When your teeth wear down, your bite can come out of alignment and cause real damage to your oral health. You become more susceptible to decay and gum disease, and you may wake up each morning with pain or stiffness in your jaw. To help prevent your condition from worsening, seek out treatment at once. By wearing an oral guard before bed, you can protect your teeth from the damage of bruxism.
At your Ankeny, IA dental practice, we help patients detect and treat problems with chronic grinding of your teeth. As your mouth chews, while you sleep, your teeth lose healthy material and change how they fit with one another. Fortunately, we can create a guard that matches the specific shape of your smile to fit comfortably while you sleep. After stopping the condition from continuing to impact your smile, we can discuss cosmetic procedures to repair damage and return the beauty of your grin!
Helping You Detect Bruxism
If you suspect you grind your teeth while you sleep, consider asking a family member to watch over you while you sleep. They can let you know if they see movement in your mouth throughout the night or hear the sounds of teeth gnashing together. When you attend your next dental checkup, we can check your smile for signs of grinding and provide treatment when detected.
Wearing Your Oral Guard
We will take measurements of your smile to create a guard that fits the shape of your smile. Each night before bed, you will wear this protective appliance on each row of teeth to prevent damage from your bite. This BPA-free solution can also relieve the pressure of constant clenching to give you a more refreshed feeling when you wake up each morning.
Talk To Your Ankeny, IA Dentist About Protecting Your Teeth From Nightly Grinding
We can help you preserve your smile by protecting your smile from nightly biting. When wearing a guard, you can separate each row of teeth to protect them as you sleep. To find out more about bruxism or to schedule a visit, please call your Ankeny, IA, dentist’s office at (515) 207-6182. We also serve patients from Alleman, Elkhart, Bondurant, and other nearby communities.
