A Mouth Guard Could Help You Sleep and Reduce Dry Mouth Issues

When people think about mouth guards, they usually think about sports. While mouth guards can protect athletes on the field, they can also protect you while you sleep. Mouth guards have been used by dentists for many years to prevent the negative effects of a condition called bruxism.

Bruxism is simply the medical word for teeth grinding. Teeth grinding occurs both during the day and at night. People who grind their teeth may experience teeth problems and even jaw problems. People who grind their teeth at night may experience restless nights, poor sleep, and dry mouth. Teeth grinding can stem from many different reasons. One of the main causes of teeth grinding is daily stress.

How a Mouth Guard Helps

In order to understand how mouth guards work, you need to understand how teeth grinding affects your sleep. When you grind your teeth at night, it often restricts your airway. When your airway is restricted, your body wakes up for a moment and goes back to sleep. This can happen multiple times a night, making for poor sleep and even dry mouth.

Mouth guards help with two of the main problems people face when grinding their teeth at night: sleep issues and dry mouth. First, a mouth guard keeps the airway unrestricted. A mouth guard makes it so that when you go to clench your teeth at night, they don’t meet all the way.

This means the airway is never obstructed, meaning you get a better night’s rest. Second, a mouth guard helps with dry mouth because it stimulates saliva glands when it’s worn. This means you won’t wake up with a dry mouth in the morning. If you think you have bruxism, please give us a call. We will be able to help you!

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