If you spend your nights clenching and grinding your teeth, your mornings can start with dental pain and sensitivity. Over time, this unconscious habit can make you more likely to suffer from TMJ disorder, and it can leave you with visible dental damage that affects your smile and oral health. While it is difficult to correct a behavior you do while you are asleep, there is something that your Prairie Village, KS dentist can do to help! You can pick up a custom oral appliance at our office that can stop you from grinding your teeth at night. In addition to preventing more enamel damage, this will help keep you from experiencing oral health complications, and it can reduce lingering jaw pain and stiffness brought on by TMJ problems.
Teeth Grinding Issues Can Lead To Permanent Dental Damage
Over time, your habitual teeth grinding and clenching issues, known as bruxism, can cause permanent damage to your enamel. When that damage occurs, you can notice unwelcome changes in the way you look, as your smile can appear worn, older, and less healthy. You also have to worry about permanent dental damage that affects your oral health. While our practice is prepared to address these concerns, remember that we can intervene and help you guard your smile against bruxism before you need restorative or cosmetic treatment!
Protect Yourself At Night With A Custom Oral Guard
A custom oral appliance can remain in place throughout the night to keep your teeth apart. By seeing your dentist to receive this appliance, you can make sure that it is the right shape and size to stay secure, and to make sure it is strong enough to keep your smile safe. By stopping you from grinding and clenching your teeth, we can keep you from doing any more damage to your enamel. We can also stop a cause of mounting stress on your jaw joints and muscles, which can prevent TMJ issues from developing or worsening.
Addressing Damage That Has Already Occurred
For a patient who is already dealing with permanent dental damage because of bruxism, we can discuss treatment through restorative or cosmetic dental work. Because cosmetic treatments are more conservative in nature, we can rely on them to improve the way you look when we are not concerned about active oral health issues. However, when damage is severe enough to hurt your oral health, or stop you from biting and chewing comfortably, restorative services are recommended.
Talk To Your Prairie Village, KS Dentist About Teeth Grinding Issues
By dealing with teeth grinding issues with a custom oral appliance, we can protect your smile from potentially serious damage! If you would like to learn more about this or other services that Dr. Browne can provide, please call our Prairie Village, KS dentist’s office at 913-901-8585.
