8 Reasons You Need A Night Guard

Grinding and/or clenching your teeth is called bruxism and usually happens at night during early sleep. Many people are unaware of this destructive habit. The cause or etiology of grinding your teeth can be difficult to determine. However, the damage caused can often be controlled by wearing a custom made night guard or occlusal appliance. Here are some of the things that wearing such an appliance can improve:

1- Chronic grinding of teeth often leads to tension type headaches, especially in the morning.

2- Excessive grinding and clenching can hurt your teeth and in some cases cause irreversible damage such as infections and/or bone loss.

3- Bruxism can also damage existing restorations(fillings, onlays or crowns) and prosthetics(fixed bridges and removable dentures).

4- Another reason is prematurely worn down teeth. Over time the valuable enamel covering of your teeth can be worn away.

5- In some rare cases bruxism can cause earaches by putting excessive pressure on you inner ear which is located adjacent to the jaw joint.

6- Teeth grinding or clenching may be loud enough to awaken or disturb your sleep partner.

7- Chronic grinding can also cause soft tissue damage such as chewing on the inside of your cheeks or borders of the tongue.

8- Generalized chronic facial pain.

In conclusion a simple treatment such as a professionally made custom night guard can eliminate many unwanted symptoms and problems and improve your quality of life.

Tips To Reduce Cavities

Cavities, decay or caries are not only the same kind of dental pathology, but also one of the most common in the world. Cavities form on tooth surfaces due to certain bacteria in the mouth metabolizing sugars and producing acids that essentially break down or demineralize tooth structures. These bacteria typically live in the plaque that builds up on teeth. Dental plaque is a biofilm, usually a pale yellow, that develops naturally on the teeth. Like any biofilm, dental plaque is formed by colonizing bacteria trying to attach themselves to the tooth's smooth surface. Here are some useful tips to reduce the incidence of cavities:

1) Limit sugars and starchy, sticky foods- By doing this you are not feeding the bacteria and in turn less acids are produced.

2) Brush twice and floss once a day- This will physically remove the plaque(and bacteria) from all the tooth surfaces.

3) Use fluoridated products- Fluoride is a naturally occurring chemical that can reverse the process of cavity formation by remineralizing tooth structures. We recommend fluoridated toothpastes and mouthwashes. In-office fluoride treatments after professional cleanings are extremely beneficial.

4) Visit your dentist regularly- Biannual exams and cleanings will ensure that all plaque and/or calculus is removed, hygiene practices can be reviewed and fine tuned and any pathology present can be discovered early and treated. 

5) Chew sugar-free gum- this practice has been proven to clean tooth surfaces and reduce cavity formation.

If you follow these directions carefully, you are a lot less likely to develop cavities in the future.

The Human Connection

As a certified general practitioner and prosthodontist, I've been providing quality dental care for twenty two years. I love what I do and get a lot of satisfaction from helping people with their dental needs and wants. What I do is very detail oriented and quite often the outcome of a case depends on many technicalities. Things like a good preparation, a detailed impression, excellent lab work and many other nuances. When all these steps are done well, you end up with a highly satisfactory result.

However, through all these years I've come to realize that most important is that human connection between myself and the patient. Recently I completed a fairly sophisticated full mouth case. As usual we got a clinically excellent result. What made it so much more special was the rapport that had developed between myself and our patient. We had become more friends than doctor/patient and I found that this personal connection is much more gratifying than a purely clinical happy ending.

In conclusion I would add that the best possible scenario consists of both a clinically superior approach and a more emotional connection!

       

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Your child's first visit to the dentist.

In the United States, approximately 4 million preschoolers are living with tooth decay. You can help your children prevent this serious condition by scheduling regular dental checkups for them every 6 months.

This infographic from a pediatric dentist explains more....