Hi, my name is Dr. Alex Matheson here at Matheson Dentistry & Implant Center, and one question that we get a lot of is mouth guards. Am I a candidate? Do I need a mouth guard? Why would someone wear a mouth guard? And so today, we're going to answer some common questions that we get about mouth guards.
What is a mouth guard, and why might someone need one?
A mouth guard is, so under the category of mouth guards, there are a few different things we're going to talk about today. But it's basically an orthotic device or a piece of plastic or rubber that is inserted into your mouth that fits onto your teeth, doing something important. Typically, it's going to keep your teeth apart for one reason or another. Oftentimes, people will grind their teeth, they'll clench their teeth at night, and so they need to wear it at night. Some people might have sleep apnea, where they actually stop breathing at night, and there are certain mouth guards that we can make that will help you breathe better. There are certain mouth guards that people will wear for athletics. If someone plays football or soccer, or baseball, oftentimes they'll wear a mouth guard that will help protect their teeth from injury. So lots of different types of mouth guards, and we'll get into some of those.
What are the most common types of mouth guards?
There are several types of mouth guards. The most common ones are often called a night guard. It's something that we wear at night that will help prevent clenching and grinding of your teeth or the damage that comes to our teeth from clenching and grinding. Another type of mouth guard is an athletic guard, one that people will wear during sporting events like basketball or football to prevent injury to their teeth. And another type of mouth guard that we make commonly is called a sleep apnea device, which actually helps to open up your airway so that you breathe better. For those who have obstructive sleep apnea, it'll help you breathe better at night.
What is a mouth guard for teeth grinding or bruxism, and how does it work?
A mouth guard for teeth grinding, or sometimes it's called bruxism, is something that looks like this. It is a custom-fit piece of plastic that fits onto the upper teeth. We adjust it so that your lower teeth hit it in an ideal way, so you're not putting more pressure on one side of your mouth or on one tooth more than the other. At night, that can really help people who have been struggling with waking up with sore jaws in the morning. If you're having problems like that, where you're waking up in the morning and having sore jaws or your sleep partner tells you that you're grinding your teeth at night, definitely come in and talk to us about that, because over time, that can be really detrimental to your teeth.
How can a mouth guard help with TMJ disorders?
It's very common that people will have different types of TMJ disorders or temporomandibular joint disorders, and for several of those disorders, it can be helpful to wear a night guard. What it's going to do is help take off some of the pressure from these jaw joints and alleviate some of the pain and discomfort that you've been having. So if you are having some problems with jaw joints or these muscles that you use to chew with, if you're having some pain or discomfort, give us a call, because we'd love to see what we can do to help you, and oftentimes that involves using a night guard.
What are the benefits of a night mouth guard for sleeping?
Many people who come into our office do have problems with sleep apnea, where at night it's hard to sleep all the way through because you stop breathing. The reason you stop breathing is that your tongue and your soft palate come together and fill up your airway, and you can't breathe at night. Because of that, your body has to wake you up so that you'll breathe. The only problem with that is that you can't sleep very well at night. One of the things that a night mouth guard or a sleep apnea device, or a mandibular advancement device, can do is help open your airway so you can breathe. It's called a lot of different things in dentistry, but basically, it's a sleep night guard. That's one of the things that we can make here at Matheson Dentistry & Implant Center. It's a piece that fits onto your top teeth and a piece that fits onto your bottom teeth, and there's a little connection between them that pulls your lower jaw forward. By pulling your lower jaw forward, you open your airway so that you can breathe. Some people might be used to having a CPAP machine, which is kind of a big machine that fits over your face and forces air in. Some people do okay with that; some people really hate having that big, clunky thing on their face. So a night mouth guard or a sleep apnea device could be a really nice alternative so that it's not so big and uncomfortable on your face.
What is a sleep apnea mouth guard, and how does it help with breathing during sleep?
A sleep apnea mouth guard is something like this that I'm holding, and it's a mouth guard that helps to open up your airway so that you can breathe better at night. Many people suffer from sleep apnea, where your tongue and the roof of your mouth come together at night and prevent them from breathing. What the sleep apnea device or the night mouth guard does is pull your lower jaw forward. Your tongue is attached to your lower jaw, and as it comes forward, it opens up your airway so that you can breathe better at night. For many people, it's a much better alternative to a CPAP, which is sometimes a big, clunky thing that fits on your face. Some people get by okay with that; some people just don't like the fact that it's this big piece of machinery on their face all night long. So oftentimes, we'll make sleep apnea devices for those people to get them a better night's sleep.
How effective are snore mouth guards in reducing snoring?
Snore mouth guards are another really important mouth guard. Many people snore at night, and oftentimes people will come into our office and ask about it because their sleep partner made them come into the office because they want them to stop snoring at night. Snoring is when the tongue and the soft palate come together at night because everything's nice and relaxed, and air just can't pass very well between your tongue and your soft palate, and it kind of sounds like this. The way to overcome that is to pull your tongue forward so that it's not resting on your soft palate. Your tongue is connected to your lower jaw, so one of the things we can do here at Matheson Dentistry & Implant Center is make a snore guard where you have a piece of plastic that snaps onto your bottom teeth, a piece that snaps onto your upper teeth, and a little strap that connects the two and brings your lower jaw forward so that it's not falling back and hitting the soft palate, which is what produces snoring. Not only is that going to make for a more restful sleep for you, but it'll also make for a much more restful sleep for your sleep partner.
What should someone look for in the best anti-snoring mouth guard?
When you're looking for an anti-snoring night guard, there are different types that you can make, but the most important thing is to know that you need to be able to pull your tongue forward in order to stop snoring at night. There are devices that kind of look like a baby pacifier that actually suck on your tongue and pull it forward, and if that works for you, awesome. There are other things that will pull your lower jaw forward—your tongue is connected to your lower jaw right behind your chin—and by pulling your lower jaw forward, it will open up your airway and prevent snoring. Several different ways to do it, and if you have more questions about it, please call us here at Matheson Dentistry & Implant Center at (480) 888-8123, and set up a no-cost consultation where you and I can sit down and talk about what is right for you when it comes to a sleep apnea device or a snoring device.
What is the difference between a custom mouth guard and a store-bought one?
Oftentimes, I'm asked what the difference is between a custom-made night guard that we would make here in the office, or a mouth guard and a store-bought one or one that I get on Amazon, and the answer comes down to customization. If we make one for you, it's going to be very customized to your teeth, your mouth, and your situation. If you get one online or in the store, it's not going to be customized to you. I know that some people have tried it and it's helped; I know a lot of people who have tried them and they're not as helpful. One of the things they're not looking at is your teeth and how well they're going to fit on your teeth. Sometimes, if you wear a night guard that does not fit very well, your teeth can move and shift, and that becomes a big problem, and we don't want that for you. Getting a customized mouth guard done at the dentist, especially done here at Matheson Dentistry & Implant Center, can be very beneficial when compared to getting the kind that you can get online or in the store because it's really going to help prevent a lot of problems down the road.
How does a dentist create a custom snore or sleep apnea mouth guard?
When we are going to make a custom snore mouth guard or sleep apnea mouth guard or any kind of mouth guard here at Matheson Dentistry & Implant Center, we're going to take great pains to make sure that it's customized to your mouth. The first thing we're going to do is take a digital impression of your teeth and jaws so that we can make this as customized as possible. After that, in our laboratory, we're going to make the device so that it fits very well. We want to make sure it's not too tight and not too loose, so we're going to go to great lengths to ensure it's the right size for you. Once the mouth guard is fabricated, we're going to have you back into the office and make sure it fits well. Again, if it is a little too tight, we'll adjust that; if it's a little too loose, we can adjust that too. We want to make sure it's comfortable for you, whether you're wearing it through the day or at night. We want to make sure it's not too big and bulky, that you're able to breathe normally and function properly, and we want to ensure it's helping you and providing the appropriate treatment.
Can mouth guards help prevent dental damage during sports or while grinding teeth?
Mouth guards can do enormous things to help prevent damage to your teeth. Athletic mouth guards are very vital if you're in a contact sport, and it's not just football that's a contact sport. Basketball is a contact sport, soccer is a contact sport—there's a lot of physical stuff that can happen in all kinds of sports you might be playing in school or recreationally. So wearing an athletic guard is definitely recommended to help prevent problems. Mouth guards are very beneficial, especially for those who tend to clench or grind their teeth at night. It can really help prevent a lot of damage to your teeth. I can't tell you how many times a day we see people in our office who have just ground down their teeth to little nubs. It happens all the time, and if you are prone to clenching and grinding, it's really important that you start wearing a mouth guard at night to prevent damage to your teeth. Your future self will definitely thank your current self if you do.
When should someone consider using a mouth guard for sports like football or boxing?
If you're involved in any sport, especially contact sports, I definitely recommend that you use an athletic guard. That is football, certainly boxing, but a lot of other sports that you wouldn't think of as being contact sports—soccer, basketball, even baseball sometimes. These are sports where big-time collisions can happen, and we've seen damage to teeth from all kinds of different sports, and if they were just wearing an athletic guard, it would have prevented a lot of problems. So absolutely, you want to be wearing an athletic guard, ideally a custom-made athletic guard from your dentist if you're a football player or if you're a boxer. But even other sports, too—basketball, soccer, some of these other sports—it can really prevent a lot of problems in the future if you wear an athletic guard.
What should I do if I have braces and I'm playing sports?
Some people do ask, What if I'm playing sports and I want to have an athletic guard to protect my teeth, but I have braces on? Well, we can actually make athletic guards for people with braces. Now, it's going to be a little more temporary, meaning it's—you know, you're only going to have your braces on for a year or two years or so. So, you know, that's all you're going to need it for. But if you're playing soccer, if you're playing football, if you're playing basketball, or any sport that has wrestling or a lot of contact, it is really important to wear an athletic guard. Even if you have braces, we can still make an athletic guard that will go over braces.