Greenville, SC Athletic Mouthguards

Night guards, we do a fair number of night guards here in the office. It used to be that we would send them off to a lab to get them made, which could take a few weeks to get them back, but we’ve got the equipment in the office now so we can just make them typically in a week, sometimes a little less.

Two reasons we use a night guard or dental mouth guard, two primary reasons. One would be, someone who tends to clench their teeth or grind their teeth at night. And then some people, we’re using an appliance if they’re having jaw pain. Some people call it TMJ, but TMJ is a generic term for lots of things with the mouth. But sometimes it could be muscle tenderness, tenderness up in the temple area, people who wake up in the morning with a headache in the temple area, those are pretty good signs that they’re clenching at night; they’re grinding. I grind at night. I didn’t have a clue that I was doing it, so I wear a night guard every night. Once I knew I was doing it, I’m doing it primarily so I don’t break my big fillings, because I don’t like to be on the receiving end any more than anyone else. But my night guard is also self preservation, because I’m being elbowed by my wife, or she says it’s my snoring. If you’ve ever heard your child, children grind their teeth sometimes at night. Fortunately, they typically don’t do a lot of damage and there’s not much we can do on young kid’s because they’re changing so much but you can walk by a child’s room and hear them grinding. It’s an awful sound.

But when you get into the permanent teeth, you can do some serious damage over time on that. There’s no replacing that enamel except for fillings and crowns if it gets severe. We do a lot of night guards. If a patient has had a lot of porcelain work done, especially interior veneers and porcelain work, I always recommend a night guard just to protect. Because if a patient does grind, if they’re grinding on porcelain they run a lot bigger risk of breaking something. There’s night guards to help protect against grinding, and there’s also something called splints, TMJ splints. The goal is similar, but the goal is comfort. Some people come in and they grind and they have no pain associated with it, that was my case. Some people have jaw pain, and you’re protecting things against the grinding but you’re also trying to break up the habit of that grinding so hopefully you can get the headaches under control, the sore jaws.

And for most people, it doesn’t take long to get used to wearing it. Initially, you pop it in, you’re hitting on plastic instead of tooth to tooth. Some people will tend to drool a little more for a few days until your brain figures out that you’re not going to swallow this thing and chew it up, it’s not a meal, and the saliva slows down. But most people accommodate pretty well and once they get used to it they hate to be without it.

Mouthguards are devices that fit over your teeth to prevent the upper and lower arches from making direct contact. They are also used to protect your mouth and face from injuries during sports and recreational activities.

Athletic Mouthguards

Dental injuries are one of the most common types of injuries sustained during athletic activity. Injuries can range from a simple cut on the lip and a knocked out tooth to fractured jaws and concussion. To avoid complications and expensive dental work, it’s important to see your Greenville, SC dentist right away if you have a dental injury. For further protection, Dr. Brown recommends mouthguards to prevent oral and facial injuries if you regularly play contact sports or engage in similar activities.

Besides fitting your mouth perfectly, our custom athletic mouthguards do not impede speech or breathing and offer the best protection and stability. During consultation, Dr. Brown will examine your mouth and help determine the right type of mouthguard for the sport you play. For sports like mountain biking, wrestling and volleyball, a 3 to 3.5 mm-thick material is recommended. Thicker materials (5 mm) with several layers are recommended for skateboarding, soccer, rugby, martial arts, boxing and other heavy contact sports.

Night Guards for TMJ and Bruxism

Your dentist in Greenville also offers custom night guards for TMJ problems and teeth grinding or bruxism. The most common type of night guard is a full occlusal device that is shaped like a horseshoe, covering the biting surface of your upper or lower teeth. Another type is an NTI device designed to prevent migraine headaches. NTI devices usually cover the front upper teeth and allow your lower jaw to move freely.

Fast In-House Milling

At Brown Family Dentistry Group, we use an in-house milling machine to make custom mouthguards quickly. Instead of waiting for weeks or months for a custom device, your new mouthguard is ready to wear in just one week.

Click here to request an appointment today with Dr. Brown to find out what type of mouthguard is right for you.