The Importance of Nightguards
Any time teeth are wearing against each other, it’s a big problem—not just for the health of your teeth but also for your jaw and facial muscles.
Causes of TMJ, clenching, or grinding
Stress from life, misalignments in the body, and prolonged screen use with your head down can cause the jaw muscles to tighten. When the jaw muscles are tight, you close too tightly, which can wear down your teeth. A nightguard is a helpful solution to keep your teeth healthy and your jaw muscles more relaxed.
Read below about significant differences in nightguard quality. Additionally, discover why quality is crucial to your oral health.
1) What are the consequences if someone needs a Nightguard but does not get one?
The consequences are worn teeth, tooth mobility, cracks in the teeth, gum recession, and stress on the internal workings of the jaw joint and the tendons and muscles that guide and function the jaw. It can result in muscle tension, neck and facial soreness, and possible tooth loss.
2) Are all Nightguards created equal?
Nightguards are not created equal. The precision and quality of the materials used in the lab to develop them matter. Another significant factor is the precision and attention to detail of the dentist’s office in adjusting the nightguard. Depending on the adjustments, they might help to balance the jaw or hinder balance, which will cause jaw tension to continue.
3) How do labs and dentists take shortcuts when making a Nightguard?
Some labs take shortcuts, such as generalized construction instead of custom fitting or low-quality materials. A dentist's office might take shortcuts, such as poor patient instructions and quick, imprecise adjustments. Everybody’s hinge and landing point are different, so the adjustments must be perfect for aligning these two.
Some labs make hybrid nightguards (hard surface and soft interior layers). The problem with these hybrids is that the hard exterior can be adjusted for proper alignment, but the inner surface is soft, and that shifts over time. This soft inner surface doesn’t allow for consistency in alignment, the way a fully rigid interior and exterior do. Our nightguards don’t vary in alignment because the hard surfaces all stay consistently aligned for a proper fit for long-term benefits.
Our office takes extra time to adjust our nightguards because we do not use hybrid nightguards. However, we find it worth it to provide the most functional nightguard for the longest time.
4) What kind of problems and risks does it create when a shortcut is taken?
Anything covering the teeth protects teeth from wearing against each other; risks aren’t there when appropriately done. Poor nightguards create a persistent imbalance of jaw function, which is the problem we are trying to fix. It has to be balanced because if it’s not, it exacerbates the jaw imbalance. Hard material (like a quality dental nightguard) is balanced; soft ones (like drug store nightguards) only protect against tooth erosion but can lead to jaw, muscle, and tendon strain.
5) What are the benefits of having a well-trained lab fabricate your Nightguard?
The benefits are excellent, solid, quality material adjusted to balance the jaw, protect teeth, reduce muscle restrictions/strain, and unload pressures of the bite. Many patients report sleeping better at night and jaw issues resolved during the day. The most significant factor comes from the fact that the PSI of your bite is 2-5 times your body weight, crushing on the back teeth. When properly balanced, this evenly distributes the weight of clenching at night.
6) How many adjustments does it take to have a well-balanced Nightguard?
In many cases, at least two, but sometimes more, are needed for the perfect fit.
7) What kinds of problems do you see with low-quality Nightguards?
Low-quality offers minimal protection, no balance, and potential resistance with the jaw muscles. Muscle resistance increases their strain. The ideal jaw position is lips together and teeth apart, a relaxed jaw.
8) What about over-the-counter Nightguards – are they helpful at all since they are so inexpensive?
Anything between teeth will help with teeth wear, but jaw balance and muscle strain will only worsen.
9) What about NTI appliances? Why are they made so often for patients? Do they help?
NTI, or Neurotransmitter Interrupter, appliances were developed for the episodic treatment of migraines. Nerves are components of migraines. If a patient has a migraine, an NTI will deprogram the nerves, easing the migraine. An NTI-type cover that covers only a small part of the teeth helps nerves, and the jaw remains imbalanced.
The uncovered portion of teeth will wobble at night, and this will do nothing to help jaw tension. The ideal is full coverage—hitting all teeth simultaneously, so it is stable, not wobbly. You want a solid endpoint closure at the back of the jaw, with the freedom to move the jaw as needed. A well-crafted and adjusted nightguard will do this for you. It can help alleviate jaw tension and nerve pain, which may contribute to migraines.