Are Nightguards the Best Way to Stop Nighttime Grinding?

Grinding your teeth at night can be unsettling on a number of levels. Your body is likely trying to work out stress while you sleep, and the last thing you need is to worry about your dental health on top of it all! As you search for a solution, you’re likely to see nightguards in Long Beach, CA, pop up again and again. If you’re wondering what other types of treatments are available and how effective they are, we’ll compare them one by one.

Treatments Available

Stress management is a long-term recommendation for anyone with teeth grinding. Finding ways to relieve the tension during the day can be exactly what you need to stop the clenching after you fall asleep. Of course, stress management is a lifetime pursuit, which is why a dentist recommends a more short-term solution to prevent unnecessary damage to your teeth:

• Botox: Botox will weaken the muscles that you use to grind your teeth. This can drastically reduce the harm that you can do even if are still trying to clench your mouth at night.
• Biofeedback: Biofeedback works by training your muscles, allowing you to develop your own defense mechanisms even when you’re not consciously aware of using them.
• Medication: Medication can go hand-in-hand with stress management. For instance, you might take have an anti-anxiety prescription to help with temporary or chronic stress. Or a dentist may prescribe medication to relax the muscles around the jaw.
• Nightguards: Nightguards put a physical barrier between the top and bottom layer of the teeth, protecting them even when they’re grinding or clenched together.

Nightguards in Long Beach

Nightguards are the preferred way to stop your teeth from clenching at night. When Botox medications can wear off and biofeedback may not work all of the time, a nightguard is the more effective, fool-proof way to give your mouth the protection it needs.

If you have questions about how to stop teeth grinding, whether for the short- or long-term, the right dentist in Long Beach can tell you more about how your grinding is impacting your oral health, how quickly it’s progressing, and what you can do to preserve the health of your teeth. Contact the office of Andy Tang DDS to learn more today.