Night Guards

Patients who wake up with tension headaches, facial pain or unexplained jaw pain likely have a condition called bruxism where they grind or clench their teeth at night. To reduce pain and discomfort and prevent dental damage, Dr. Shital Kazi of Lewelling Dental Care can create a custom night guard to prevent the patient from grinding or clenching his or her teeth.

Teeth grinding can stem from a number of causes, many of them stress-related. Anxiety, tension and stress that occur during the day can carry over to a person's sleep, causing a person to grind or clench his or her teeth while sleeping. Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea can also lead to bruxism. Over time, frequent grinding or clenching can wear down the chewing surface or even crack a crown or filling. In addition to these dental concerns, a patient can experience significant pain and discomfort as the result of bruxism.

A common bruxism treatment is a night guard, which closely resembles a mouth guard an athlete may wear when playing a sport. Dr. Kazi can make a customized night guard from tough plastic at Lewelling Dental Care located in San Lorenzo, CA. While mouth guards are available over the counter, they are typically softer and more prone to slip from the mouth because they are not customized for the patient.

To create the night guard, Dr. Kazi first takes a mold of your upper teeth. This mold is then sent to a laboratory that constructs the night guard. A patient then returns to Dr. Kazi's office for a night guard fitting to ensure a patient's comfort. When properly fitted, the night guard should help keep the jaws slightly open and reduce the patient's ability to grind or clench the upper and lower teeth against each other. The result is a better night's sleep, less pain and discomfort and stronger, healthier teeth.

For more information on how you can end teeth grinding and clenching pain, call Lewelling Dental Care at (510) 276-6040. For more information on additional services Dr. Kazi provides, visit www.lewellingdental.com.