The Importance of Wearing a Night Guard When You Sleep

When my Connecticut dentist examined my teeth, seven years ago, he was impressed I had only two cavities in my entire 50 plus years of life. But he was also shocked that my teeth were grounded down so low I looked like an elderly woman, and not one in her early 50s. That's when he suggested a night guard.

Do you grind your teeth? If you do, you're not alone as more almost 40 million other Americans also struggle with this condition, also known as bruxism, or clenching together the upper and lower teeth. Grinding your teeth is also bad because it puts unintended pressure on the muscles and tissues of your jaw, and can result in jaw point disorders. Other problems can lead to headaches and neck pain, as well as ear and jaw pain. All these symptoms can be lumped together as "TM" problems or a medical condition known as temperomandibular.

As I researched facts for my article, I realized that perhaps my headaches could be linked to my nighttime teeth grinding, although I knew I still struggled with sinus headaches. This revelation gave me an added incentive to wear my night guard.

You may be a grinder and not even realize it as it's something you do in your sleep. The cause isn't known, but it's assumed that stress and anxiety are major factors. In other words, if you cut down on your stress level during your daytime hours, your grinding may decrease. But, while you're working on your stress problem, just get a night guard.

Shaped like a horse-shoe, a night guard is like similar to a retainer, although plastic. They're designed to protect your upper and lower teeth from grinding and clenching against each other.

If you don't stop your bad habit of nighttime grinding, you can wear down your teeth to the point where you'll have to have caps on your worn teeth. Also, I know from experience that grounded down teeth can be painful. Sometimes when I'm crunching on popcorn, I feel pain, as if I have a cavity. But, actually, the pain is due to hitting a nerve in my worn back lower teeth.