Frequent dental-related headaches can significantly decrease the quality of your everyday life. In this article, we discuss why such issues occur and how custom night guards can prevent dental-related headaches. In addition, we provide an overview of the main types of night guards to help you choose an optimal, effective option.
Can Night Guards Prevent Dental-Related Headaches?
Custom-made night guards can prevent dental-related headaches. Let us look at why such headaches can happen and how a night guard can help.
Why Do Dental-Related Headaches Occur
One of the most common causes of dental-related headaches is a condition called bruxism. Involuntary teeth grinding and jaw clenching at night put excessive strain on your jaw and facial muscles. As a result, people often experience headaches, especially in the morning, and, in addition, can have the following symptoms throughout the day and in the long term:
- Muscle tension or pain in the face, neck, and shoulders
- TMJ disorder
- Difficulty opening and closing your mouth, and pain when chewing or speaking
- Premature teeth wear
- Tooth sensitivity
- Dental restoration wear
- Earaches
- Fatigue (due to interrupted sleep)
Another cause for dental-related headaches is Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, which, apart from bruxism, can occur due to jaw injuries, arthritis, poor posture, and connective tissue diseases. Improperly aligned teeth and bite can also put excess pressure on your Temporomandibular joints and surrounding muscles, causing headaches.
How Does a Night Guard Help with Dental-Related Headaches
A night guard keeps the teeth slightly separated, preventing grinding and clenching. Night guards also absorb the force of clenching and grinding, preventing pressure from being transmitted directly to the teeth and jaw joints. Additionally, it fixes your jaw in one position, preventing the constant micromovements caused by bruxism.
As a result, consistently wearing a night guard allows the muscles around the jaw, face, and temples to relax, significantly reducing long-term muscle and joint tension and relieving dental-related headaches.
Why Is a Custom Night Guard Better Than an Over-the-Counter One
There are three main types of night guards:
- Over-the-counter, ready-made night guards
- Over-the-counter boil-and-bite night guards
- Custom-made night guards (provided by your dentist)
Over-the-counter, ready-made night guards are the most affordable option, but they have significant drawbacks. Such night guards are not designed with your anatomy in mind. As a result, they can be uncomfortable and not effective at accommodating your particular needs. Boil-and-bite night guards can offer greater customization by taking the shape of your bite. However, this customization remains limited and may not deliver optimal comfort or desirable results. In addition, if your night guard is uncomfortable, you are likely to spit it out during the night.
Custom-made night guards, on the other hand, are made using professional impressions or 3D scans of your teeth and bite. This allows you to consider all the specifications of your anatomy and create a comfortable, effective night guard. Also, custom night guards are typically made of high-quality materials and last longer than over-the-counter solutions.
Therefore, even though a custom-made night guard can be more expensive than an over-the-counter one, the results you get from it typically justify the investment.
Get a Custom Night Guard at Shodhan DHS
If you have symptoms of bruxism, TMJ disorder, or dental-related headaches, do not hesitate to make an appointment with a Desert Hot Springs leading dentist today. Our specialists will carefully examine your case to create a custom night guard that meets your needs and improves the quality of your sleep and everyday life. We are looking forward to your visit.
