After a dental checkup, our dentists will advise you on the best course of action to maintain the health of your teeth. If you need a dental appointment or visit, you can visit us at Robert H. Thorton, DMD, PLLC.

Why Do You Need a Mouth Guard?

If you have an oral condition like TMJ disorder or teeth grinding, you may be experiencing sleep disorders. You might be suffering from jaw tension problems that you’re not even aware of. Dealing with stress might also help you with dental health concerns and other undiagnosed health issues. Upon inspection, if Dr. Robert has discovered that you have bruxism, he may advise you to use mouth guards for sleeping as a bruxism treatment.

You may get the best mouth guards at our clinic. Our dentists will not only give you the proper dental mouth guard to treat your bruxism or TMJ pain, but they will also give you tips on sleeping with mouth guards. Hence, you will be able to deal with them more easily.

Types of Mouth Guards:

You may find the following types at our clinic:

Stock Mouth Guards

The most accessible and cost-effective type of mouth guard is a stock mouth guard. It generally fits over your teeth and is available in small, medium, and big sizes. The stock mouth guards for TMJ typically protect your top teeth.

Boil-and-Bite Mouth Guard

These are composed of thermoplastic polymer, which you may reshape to fit your teeth at home or have fixed at our clinic. By soaking the mouth guard in hot water, our dentist will first make it soft. He will then put the softened night guard in your mouth and compress it against the front teeth and molars. He will ask you to bite down for roughly 20 seconds to adjust the mouth guard once it feels in the proper position.

Custom-Made Mouth Guards

Our dentists can also design a mouth guard specifically for you. They will create a mouth guard precisely for the shape of your teeth using a mold of your teeth.

It offers a far better fit compared to a stock or boil-and-bite mouth guard, making people more at ease and more resistant to knock out of place while you’re sleeping.

The ideal option for those who grind their teeth, snore, or suffer sleep apnea is a customized tooth grinding guard. Although they are more expensive than mouth guards available over the market, many dental insurance policies will partially or fully cover the cost.

The Cost:

The type you select will determine how much our mouth guard will cost. You will be told about the cost during your initial consultation session.

Aftercare:

Our dentist will also provide you with guidelines for taking care of your mouth guard at home. You need to maintain good dental hygiene at home. Before putting on your mouth guard, brush and floss your teeth.  After each use, wash it with toothpaste and a toothbrush.