Custom Night Guards in Waltham

376 Dental Studio provides custom night guard services in Waltham, MA. Call 781-373-3068 to learn more and schedule your appointment.

One common cause of temporomandibular joint disorder is grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw while you sleep. A custom-fitted night guard relieves stress on the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) and physically prevents you from clenching and grinding your teeth. These appliances are affordable and effective, making them a helpful non-surgical TMJ treatment option for many patients.

Regardless of the cause, when the TMJ or the muscles surrounding them are painful, it’s referred to as TMJ disorder, or TMD. While TMD can begin as a minor irritation, it can progress over time into a debilitating condition that impacts your overall quality of life. Some of the most common symptoms of TMD include:

• Headaches and migraines
• Facial tenderness, especially around the jaw, cheeks, and temples near the temporomandibular joints
• Earaches or feelings of fullness in or around the ears
• Tightness in the jaw
• Clicking or popping noises when opening your mouth or eating
• Locking of the jaw
• Difficulty chewing

If your TMD is the result of bruxism, or jaw clenching and teeth grinding, other symptoms to be aware of include:

• Morning headaches or facial pain
• Sensitive teeth
• Abnormal wear on teeth, including teeth that look flat
• Chipped, broken, or cracked teeth

We fabricate custom appliances to protect your teeth from damage and stop bruxism. Sometimes also known as TMJ mouth guards, a night guard is a removable acrylic appliance that will help you find relief from temporomandibular joint pain. As the name implies, you’ll only need to wear it at night—simply put it in before bedtime and remove it in the morning.

While there are TMJ night guards sold over-the-counter and online, getting a custom night guard from a dentist is important. The wrong type of night guard can shift your bite or even worsen your TMJ symptoms.

Yes, custom night guards are worth it for patients with bruxism. Not only will they relieve your TMJ disorder symptoms, they’ll also protect your teeth from damage.

Night guards have an average lifespan of five years.

A custom-fitted night guard will not ruin your teeth, but some over-the-counter solutions have the potential to change your bite.

No, a mouthguard used to protect your teeth from injury during sports and other activities is designed for a different purpose and won’t relieve the stress in the TMJ.

You should wear your night guard every night.

Call 781-373-3068 to schedule your appointment.