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Why Do You Need a Night Guard?

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Why Do You Need a Night Guard?

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Why Do You Need a Night Guard Dentist Holland MIDo you wake up with terrible headaches and a sore jaw? Are your teeth flattened and worn down? If so, you may be in the habit of grinding your teeth. Bruxism is a condition that causes you to unconsciously grind and clench your teeth while you sleep. If you have bruxism, our dentist may recommend that you wear a custom night guard to protect your smile.

Bruxism can do loads of damage to not only your teeth but to your jaw as well. That’s why it’s crucial to see our dentist before too much damage is done.

What is Bruxism?

Bruxism is the technical term for grinding your teeth. Most often, nighttime teeth grinding is done unconsciously, so you might not even be aware that you have this issue. Regardless of whether you’re aware of grinding your teeth or not, bruxism is a potentially dangerous condition to have.

Teeth grinding can lead to countless problems such as:

  • Headaches
  • Tooth pain
  • Jaw soreness
  • TMJ disorder
  • Tooth damage (chipped teeth, fractures, loose teeth)
  • Earaches
  • Neck pain

The force from teeth grinding overworks your jaw muscles and causes you to wake up feeling sore. The muscle tenderness from your jaw and neck all contribute to your headaches. If the damage is severe enough, you may need to get crowns, veneers, or other restorations to fix your teeth. A teeth grinding guard will not only lessen your bruxism symptoms but help you save money in the long run.

How Does a Night Guard Prevent Teeth Grinding?

One of the best ways to combat grinding your teeth at night is by wearing a night guard. A night guard is an oral appliance you wear while you sleep that protects your teeth from the dangers of bruxism. It will prevent you from doing any damage to your teeth or jaw due to bruxism during sleep.

What is the Purpose of a Night Guard?

A custom night guard is one of the best ways to reduce and even eliminate your nighttime teeth grinding. Our dentist will simply take impressions of your teeth, send them to a lab, and have a night guard specifically designed for you. Wearing your dental guard while you sleep will help protect your teeth from the dangers of grinding and may also prevent you from grinding your teeth altogether.

A night guard will help get rid of the headaches you’ve been experiencing, as well as any pain or discomfort from your jaw or teeth. A night guard will also improve the overall quality of your sleep and help you wake up feeling refreshed instead of groggy and in pain.

Teeth grinding is a hard habit to kick, especially if you’re under a lot of stress. But a teeth grinding guard can help you prevent any further damage from bruxism while also giving you a good night’s sleep. Reach out to our dentist to learn more about your options for relieving symptoms.

Request an Appointment with Dr. Habecker

Dr. Brenton Habecker can create a custom night guard to protect your teeth from bruxism while you sleep. To schedule your appointment with our family dentist in Holland, MI, call Macatawa Smiles at (616) 396-7524.

This blog post has been updated.

Dentist Holland, MI

Macatawa Smiles

720 Michigan Avenue
Holland, MI 49423

(616) 396-7524

Mon-Thurs: 8AM - 5PM

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COVID-19 UPDATE FROM DR. HABECKER AND HIS TEAM

Dear Patient Family,

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a difficult time for all of us. Many of you have been forced to wait for dental care and we appreciate your understanding while we kept our office closed to follow orders from the Governor's Office.

We are happy to say that we are opening our office for all patient treatment on June 1st, 2020. Our hours of operation will go back to normal, Monday-Thursday 8am - 5pm. We want you to know that there will be some changes at your next appointment. Please be patient with us as our protocols will inevitably change as new guidelines are released.

  • We ask that you use our parking lot as the waiting room.
  • Please wear a mask when you come into the office and leave it on until entering the treatment room. Homemade is acceptable.
  • Only the person receiving treatment should come in the building, all others will be asked to wait in the car if at all possible. The exception will be for our minor patients who may have one parent accompany them.
  • We will be asking you some questions when you arrive at the office and we will also be taking your temperature.
  • We will not be able to offer magazines, drinks, or toys at this time as they cannot be disinfected to our standards. Eventually this will change and we will be happy to offer our amenities once again.

These changes have been made to adhere to the latest CDC guidelines and for the benefit of our patients and our staff. We want you to know that our office has always taken the safety of our patients very seriously and that we will continue to follow the highest levels of sterilization and disinfection to keep you protected. If you would like more information on what measures we have taken we would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

We cannot say how excited we are to see all of our patients again and to provide for their dental needs. We look forward to seeing all of your smiling faces soon!

Dr. Habecker and Team