Oral Appliance Therapy

Whether you are aware of it or not, dentists can diagnose any underlying stress that could be attributing to the wear of your teeth. It could be as a result of bad habits, clenching and/or grinding of the teeth. Purely from a functional stand point, teeth are exposed to numerous stress on a daily basis. In addition, teeth are sometimes used to open things (i.e. – bottle caps, bag of potato chips) or to act as a third hand. Crunchy or chewy foods force our facial muscles and jaw joints to go into over drive, sometimes causing misalignment of the jaw joints and inflammation of the joint muscles. Clicking or popping sounds may develop, which can indicate a possible serious issue and lead to lasting damage.

To prevent any serious problems, our office can create a custom made mouthguard or night splint to protect your teeth, the muscles of your face and your jaw joints from further damage.

A custom made athletic mouthguard can be created for children and adults who engage in active sports, including football, soccer, basketball and martial arts. Clenching of the teeth occurs when lifting heavy weights and a custom made athletic mouthguard can help to dissipate the pressures evenly to all of the teeth and to relieve some of the tension in the muscles of the jaw.

Once we have created your custom mouthguard or splint, it is important that you wear your appliance as directed and that you bring your appliance to each dentist appointment to be checked for wear and tear and proper fit.