Nightguards are custom-made, clear acrylic devices worn at night that can help with a wide variety of tooth and jaw problems. They are fitted perfectly to your mouth, and no two are shaped exactly alike. If the dentist recommends for you to receive a nightguard at your appointment, you may be wondering what they’re used for and why you might need them. They have countless benefits that you will experience after receiving one!



Helps With Jaw Pain

The main reason patients are recommended nightguards is for chronic teeth grinding, which is also known as bruxism. While it may seem harmless, teeth grinding can produce a slew of problems over time, including tooth and jaw pain, shifting teeth, headaches, tension, and neck pain.

A nightguard helps you stop grinding your teeth so you may notice an improvement in your jaw pain. Without one, you could develop a jaw disorder such as TMJ.

Provides Better Sleep

Wearing a nightguard can drastically improve your quality of sleep, even when you didn’t realize you were getting mediocre sleep before. Teeth grinding decreases your quality of sleep and can cause pain, therefore interrupting your sleep patterns. If your mouth muscles are tense, your body will most likely be tense, not allowing you to fully relax and fall into a deep sleep. Wearing a nightguard will keep that from happening and you may notice yourself falling into a deeper sleep more easily.

No More Snoring

If you have a snoring problem, nightguards can actually help eliminate it. They make a passage between your jaws, which increases airflow and therefore helps you breathe better. This eliminates snoring as you’ll have a larger passageway for air through your mouth. If you suffer from sleep apnea, the nightguard can help relieve that as well.

Prevents Tooth Damage

Over time, grinding your teeth can greatly impact them. When the top and bottom teeth are clenched together, they wear each other down, and can easily lead to enamel loss. This can lead to dentin loss and the exposure of nerves and blood vessels if it goes on for long enough. When you’re asleep, you don’t have control over your grinding or even know that you’re doing it, so there’s no way for you to prevent it aside from wearing a nightguard.

Prevents Headaches

Teeth grinding doesn’t only cause jaw pain – grinding also very commonly leads to tension headaches. The grinding leads to tension in the jaw, ears, and head, so you may wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning with a dull headache. The only way to reduce that tension and pain is by ceasing to grind your teeth, which can be done with a nightguard.

Contact Us Today

If you suffer from teeth grinding or wake up with jaw pain, headaches, and facial tension, you would most likely benefit from a nightguard. The custom-fit night guards fit perfectly in your mouth and around your teeth.

If you already have a nightguard, you can bring it in when you come in for your next appointment so we can clean it and adjust it as needed. If you believe you may need a nightguard or want to learn more about them, contact our Evanston Dentist today.

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