If you are looking for a night guard, then you might be suffering from teeth grinding at night (also known as bruxism) or loud snoring caused by sleep apnea. In this article we are going to cover the benefits of a night guard and how they will help you (and your partner) get a good night’s rest.
Table of Contents
The Benefits of a Night Guard
Prevents Tooth Damage
As a result of your teeth grinding, you most likely wake up everyday with sore jaws and tooth pain. Over time, this can lead to permanent tooth damage because constant teeth clenching will wear down your enamel. Eventually your teeth can crack or chip, and then your dentist will have to rebuild your teeth with a crown.
However, wearing a night guard will prevent all of this from happening since the guard will keep your upper and lower teeth from directly touching. The reduced friction resulting from wearing a night guard will preserve your teeth and you will not experience any more tooth damage.
Reduce Headaches
Clenching your teeth at night or even during the day will result in toothaches, tooth sensitivity, and headaches. Furthermore, your overactive jaw muscles will feel tender or sore, and this can even spread to your neck and ears. For the same reasons as above, wearing a night guard will prevent this pain from being felt. If you have a custom night guard, you can even align your bite and teeth.
Relaxes the Jaw
With a night guard in the way, your jaw cannot fully close. Eventually, your brain will realize that you are overworking your jaw and will send a signal telling it to relax. You will find that after wearing a night guard, you will be able to resume normal activities like talking, eating, and laughing without discomfort.
Saves Money
Depending on whether you bought a boil-and-bite night guard or a custom night guard, you could have spent less than $100 or possibly several hundreds of dollars. Either way, that is quite the investment if it ends up saving you thousands from having to do restorative dental treatments. Whether it is for functional or aesthetic purposes, the cost will be more than the cost of a dental night guard.
Keeps your Partner Sane
Whether you grind your teeth or snore loudly at night, your partner will be suffering just as much as you. Teeth grinding can actually get loud enough to be audible to anyone close by, and loud snoring is… well, loud. If you can prevent both by wearing a night guard, then your partner will thank you for it. And you won’t have to be part of the 25% of couples that sleep apart due to a partner’s sleeping problem.
Reduce Snoring
Building on the point above, people who suffer from bruxism have a higher likelihood of snoring as well. There appears to be a link between snoring, sleep apnea, and teeth grinding. There are even some snoring mouth guards that reduces snoring by pulling your tongue forward so that it does not slide down and block your airways when you fall asleep.
Conclusion
If any of the above night guard benefits sound appealing to you, then you should seriously consider getting one. We have written a review of the best night guards on the market, or you can consider getting a custom night guard from your dentist or order one from a private lab for cheaper instead.