SPRING- A Lovely Reminder of How Beautiful Change Can Truly Be.
April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month and we are running a fun campaign in our office to raise some money! For each photo that one of our patients takes blowing a bubblegum bubble and posts to one of their social media accounts with our office tagged- we will donate 5$ to Oral Cancer Cause. We would love to raise some good money for a good cause and we need your help! We will be running this campaign for all of April so you have plenty of time to participate. Let’s have some fun and raise some money!
Night Guards For Teeth GrindingHAVE YOU EVER woken up with a sore jaw, tooth pain, or a headache? These are common symptoms of sleep bruxism, or teeth-grinding. The American Dental Association estimates that 10-15 percent of adults struggle with sleep bruxism, and children can experience it too. Because it happens during sleep, it can be difficult to control or stop. One way to protect the teeth from the damaging effects of grinding is to wear a night guard. What Night Guards AreNight guards come in hard, medium, and soft varieties, with the soft ones resembling mouth guards for sports and hard ones resembling clear plastic retainers, though they’re much sturdier and you usually only need one for the upper teeth. Wearing a night guard provides a cushioning effect so that the upper and lower teeth can’t wear away at each other. It will protect your teeth from external damage caused by grinding, such as chipping and erosion, but as long as the grinding still happens, other symptoms like jaw pain may not change What Night Guards Are Not While hard night guards might look like retainers, they are not necessarily interchangeable. You should never use a normal retainer as a night guard, because it doesn’t have the necessary thickness to withstand the pressure. You should also be careful about using night guards as retainers. If you have a hard night guard that is properly fitted to your teeth, it can serve as a retainer, but a soft night guard won’t prevent your teeth from shifting. Where To Get YoursYou can either buy your night guard over-the-counter or get a custom night guard from the dentist. A typical over-the-counter night guard requires you to shape it to your teeth by boiling it, allowing it a moment to cool, and then gently biting into it. If you obtain your night guard through your dentist, the added comfort and quality will be worth the greater price. These night guards are made in a laboratory from an impression of your teeth taken by dental professionals. Cleaning And Storing Your Night GuardIf you don’t want to end up with a night guard that is smelly and gross, it’s important to clean and store it correctly. Always rinse your night guard after you take it out, then brush it with your toothbrush (but no toothpaste). In order to prevent bacterial growth, a night guard should never be stored wet, so give it time to air dry before placing it in its case, and it might be better to leave it on the nightstand instead of in the bathroom. Ask Us About Your Night GuardIf you think you might have bruxism, don’t wait; come talk to us about it. We can get you your perfect night guard, and we can also help you with other methods of reducing the symptoms, such as discussing ways to reduce stress levels and recommending an orthodontist if misaligned teeth are contributing to the grinding. Dr. Sperbeck will be out of the office April 26th but our hygiene side will be operating normally. Please give us a call if you have any concerns if you are scheduled for hygiene on that day!We hope all our patients have a wonderful April and enjoy the start of spring! |