Did your Naples dentist recommend you wear a night guard? Wearing a nightguard is ideal for people who grind and clench their teeth at night while they sleep. Statistics show a significant number of people grind and clench their teeth at night, and most of them are completely unaware of it.   

Unfortunately, teeth grinding and clenching can lead to premature enamel wear, poor sleep, and jaw pain. If you are one of those people, you can benefit from wearing a nightguard.   

The Benefits of Night Guards   

Protect Your Teeth Against Damage   

A night guard functions by preventing your top teeth and your bottom teeth from touching while you’re sleeping. If you fail to address teeth grinding, your teeth will eventually suffer the consequences. One example is enamel erosion.   

Enamel erosion is the wearing away of the protective layer of your teeth. When it isn’t stopped, it will lead to tooth sensitivity. Nighttime teeth grinding also causes damage to your pre-existing dental fillings. And when these fillings get damaged, you’ll need to pay for costly repairs or replacements. Teeth grinding and clenching can potentially cause your teeth to chip and break and crack. 

Worst case scenario, teeth grinding can become so bad that you will need to replace all of your existing teeth with crowns or dentures once you wear into the dentin (the second layer of tooth), causing your bite to collapse.   

Lessen Tension and Pain in Your Jaw   

Some people grind their teeth at night while others clench their jaws. Unfortunately, jaw clenching puts unnecessary tension on your jaw joints, causing these joints to become misaligned. Jaw joint misalignment is also known as temporomandibular joint dysfunction.   

You can reduce your jaws’ tension and pain by wearing a nightguard. Another benefit of wearing a nightguard is it prevents headaches in the morning. Studies show that teeth clenching and grinding can result in toothaches and headaches.   

Get a Night Guard From Your Naples Dentist   

If you think you suffer from teeth grinding, it’s crucial to see your dentist as soon as possible to address the issue before it complicates and leads to serious oral health problems. At Gulfside Dental, we strive to provide you with superior quality dental services customized to your needs. With our state-of-the-art facility and modern-day techniques, we can help get you the smile you deserve. Call us today for an appointment.