Bite/Night Guards in Yorkville, Toronto
Our Toronto dental practice provides custom night guards to help protect your teeth from bruxism (nighttime teeth grinding or jaw clenching) or TMD.
What is the difference between a night guard and a mouth guard?
Night guards are somewhat different than mouth guards, both in purpose and design.
For children and adults who are prone to grinding their teeth throughout the night, the dentist may recommend a specific night guard appliance that is designed for the purpose of preventing damage to the teeth.
Depending on the dental application, the night guard might be a bite splint or bite plane.
Either way, these appliances are custom fit and molded by the dentist to perfectly suit the upper or lower teeth.
A mouth guard can be used to protect the teeth and mouth from injuries while playing sports like hockey, soccer, basketball and football.
Custom Night or Bite Guards
Depending on a patient’s complications, a night guard appliance might be prescribed.
For bruxism (tooth grinding), a night guard protects the surface of the teeth; for a jaw-muscle dysfunction (sometimes called TMD), a night guard provides relief from pain and discomfort; and for issues related to the jaw joints, a night guard serves to better stabilize the area.
These are all dental health conditions that are best diagnosed and treated by an experienced dental professional.
The most important aspect of caring for mouth and teeth is personal responsibility – and that includes prevention and protection. Daily, routine maintenance is essential for dental health; risk prevention is key to avoiding unnecessary injury, and regular checkups are important in diagnosing and treating.
We often forget that dental health is as important as general health. That’s why a team of dental professionals makes so much sense – they remedy short-term issues to avoid long-term problems.
