Mouth Guard for Grinding Teeth

Unconscious teeth grinding is a condition which is medically known as bruxism. It is an involuntary action of clenching or rubbing teeth on each other. Teeth grinding is an uncontrolled action, which can be caused due to anxiety or stress. While occasional teeth grinding is totally harmless, its repetition can cause sever damage to the dental health. Most of the time, people grind their teeth when they are asleep, which leads to crooked teeth or a missed tooth. Mouth guards are often suggested to the people having the problem of teeth biting. We know that mouth guards are worn by the boxers to protect their teeth from an injury. Keeping the same idea in mind, the dentist prescribes a mouth guard to combat teeth grinding as well.

Types of Mouth Guards for Grinding Teeth

Mouth guard is a dental care device, which is worn as a covering for teeth, which protects them from any injury while teeth grinding or bruxism. Most types of mouth guards are single walled, which cover teeth in only one of the two jaws (the upper jaw). But, in some special cases, the dentists can make a special mouth pad for the teeth in the lower jaw as well. There are three basic types when it comes to these mouth guards.

Stock Mouth Protector Guards
This kind of mouth guards for teeth grinding are preformed easily and they are quite inexpensive too. They are available in any sportswear store or a general departmental store. As they are ready to wear, you cannot do much for their fitting. Plus, they are bulky and sometimes make it difficult for the wearer to talk or even breath. As a result, they are the least recommended sort of mouth guards by the dentists.

Boil and Bite Protector Guards
The boil and bite mouth guard for grinding teeth is also available in the sports goods stores. These are also ready to wear mouth guards but they offer better fitting than the stock mouth protector guards. These mouth guards are made of thermoplastic material. Before wearing them, you need to make them soft by keeping them in boiling water. You also need to adjust them around your teeth with the help of your fingers and tongue, for better fitting.

Custom Fitted Protector Guards
This teeth grinding mouth guard is made with the help of the advanced technology. You can get them professionally designed at a dental laboratory. For the best fitting of this mouth guard for grinding teeth, the professional first needs to make a mold of the teeth by taking an impression of the patient's teeth. Afterwards, the mouth guard is molded over, using a special material. This is the most expensive kind of mouth guard meant for grinding teeth.

Tips on Selecting the Best Mouth Guards

As most people suffer with the problem of grinding teeth during night, one can opt for the special night mouth guards. These teeth grinding mouth guards are actually biting pads, which are made of a high grade plastic. They are supposed to be worn before the person goes to sleep. They minimize contact between teeth of upper and the lower jaws. There are various types of mouth guards, from which you can select the best mouth guard for grinding teeth. But before doing that, don't forget to consider the following points.

Comfortable Fitting
Most of the time, you will find the mouth guard in one-size-fits-all category. Hence, it is important to consider a better option which can be a perfect fit for your teeth. If you don't wish to spend money on the custom-made guards, then I think boil and bite mouth guard for grinding teeth is the perfect choice for you. They are available in reasonable prices and ensure utmost comfort as well.

Construction
There are two categories of teeth grinding mouth guard, which are : single walled and double walled. As I said earlier, many people opt for the single walled mouth guards. Since, you are looking for a mouth guard to stop your teeth grinding during the night, I would suggest you to opt for the double walled mouth guards. Because they protect teeth in upper, as well as the lower jaw.

Durability
Once you have decided to use a mouth guard for teeth grinding, it is best that you get the value for the money you have spent on that mouth guard. Hence, choose the best device which is durable for a night's sleep. For better durability, go for a mouth guard which is made of soft plastic.

I would always suggest the custom-made mouth guard for grinding teeth, for the people who are intending to invest a few more bucks for the mouth guards. These mouth guards provide a better fitting and are also more durable compared to all the other sorts of teeth grinding mouth guards.