01/26/2016 10:38
Night guards are used for two primary reasons in the dental industry, for reasons that of late have been shown to possibly be directly related. Our Agoura Hills dentist may suggest one for one of the following reasons.
Bruxism
The primary and traditional reason people get them is because of the long-term detrimental effects that bruxism can have on teeth. Bruxism is the grinding of teeth during sleep. Thousands of people suffer from this problem without even knowing it, but it can lead to the fracturing of teeth and, over the course of decades, to their reduction to not much more than nubs. A mouth guard will protect your teeth from these potential complications.
Sleep Apnea
The other reason people get a night guard is for sleep apnea. While these devices do more than just that, since they reposition the jaw and tongue to better open the airways, the result as far as grinding is concerned is much the same.
Interesting recent research, however, has shown that bruxism may actually be caused by sleep apnea, with the grinding occurring as the body’s natural way to open the airway. Learn more about them by contacting our expert in night guards in Agoura Hills.
