801-756-0900Are you finding your jaw sore in the morning after grinding your teeth at night? If this is something you are currently experiencing, it can pose a significant number of threats to your long-term oral health. The unnatural tension from constant teeth grinding can cause inflammation and soreness in the muscles and ligaments of your temporomandibular joints that hinge your jaw. Left untreated over time, this can lead to TMJ disorder.
In addition, the act of grinding can cause chips and fractures in your tooth enamel. These damaged areas can trap residual food particles and plaque that are promoting tooth decay.
To keep these complications from arising, Dr. Carl McMillan, can fit you for a custom sleep guard. This soft, plastic mouthpiece allows some slip between your teeth. This helps mitigate inflammation and soreness caused by the tension of grinding and clenching the jaw. It also offers modest padding to prevent chips and fractures in the tooth enamel.
Even if you’ve recently developed TMJ disorder issues, the use of a custom sleep guard can help mitigate existing issues as part of a treatment strategy. The soft, plastic material shields and protects your teeth while reducing the friction between biting surfaces to help relax muscle tension in the jaw.
If you are constantly waking up with a headache or sore jaw from regularly grinding your teeth at night please call TMJ Therapy at 801-756-0900 to see if a sleep guard in American Fork, Utah, is right for you.