Occlusal Guards

Most people think grinding is the problem. Often it is the symptom.

Clenching and grinding wear teeth down, crack fillings and leave jaws aching — so the obvious move is to protect the teeth and stop there. We would rather find out why it is happening first.

Two very different kinds of stress

Almost everyone assumes grinding comes from life stress: a demanding job, money worries, a difficult relationship. Sometimes that is exactly what it is.

But there is a second kind, and it gets missed constantly. Physiological stress — the stress of a brain not getting enough oxygen during sleep. When the body senses resistance to airflow, clenching and grinding is often its first line of defense: moving the jaw forward, tensing the muscles, doing whatever reopens the airway.

If that is what is driving it, a guard alone will protect the teeth while the real problem carries on all night.

Worth ruling out

Sleep-disordered breathing and sleep apnea are worth ruling out in anyone grinding their teeth, because the consequences reach a long way past worn enamel — into daytime exhaustion, blood pressure, focus and mood.

At Posh we try to get to the root cause of tooth wear and jaw pain rather than treating the damage and sending you home. That is what our airway treatment work is for, and an airway evaluation is free.

What a guard does

A custom occlusal guard puts a precisely fitted layer between your teeth, so the force of clenching lands on the appliance instead of your enamel. That protection is real and worth having.

There is more to it than a piece of plastic, though. Before we record your bite, we deprogram the pterygoid muscles — letting the jaw settle into its true position rather than the one tense muscles are holding it in. A guard built on that bite often relieves pain, not just wear.

When the airway is the cause

If an underlying airway problem is driving the grinding, that is what needs correcting. Depending on the case, that means a repositioning device or maxillary expansion to create room — treatments covered on our airway treatment page.

And for patients who want to get the most out of life rather than simply manage the damage, we will build you a custom sleep and breathing wellness plan designed to stop the grinding and other parafunctional habits for good.

Signs to watch for

Bruxism tends to start quietly. The symptoms are small enough to ignore at first and grow the longer it goes untreated. Common ones:

• Pain in your TMJ and your jaw. This pain can often be severe.
• Pain in your face.
• Tired facial muscles.
• Pain or difficulty with biting, chewing, speaking, and more.
• Excessive and uneven tooth wear.
• Gum recession.
• Loose teeth. In some cases, you may even suffer tooth loss.
• Headaches and earaches. These symptoms are often chronic and result due to pain radiating from your TMJ.

Sports guards

Sports guards are an important part of any contact sport. Patients who participate in football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and hockey should strongly consider using a sports guard. Other activities like mountain biking and skateboarding can also put patients at risk for oral trauma. Oral trauma can result in cracked, broken, or knocked out teeth. This may constitute a dental emergency, and lead to future complications that cost thousands of dollars. Posh Dental Spa can protect you or your child from injuries to the mouth with our professionally-made sports guards.

Start with a conversation

If your teeth are worn, your jaw aches, or someone has told you that you grind at night, come in and let us look properly. We will tell you whether a guard is the whole answer, or only part of it.