Five Benefits of a Nightguard

If you suffer from nightly jaw clenching, tooth grinding, a condition called bruxism,  or tempomandibular disorder, called TMD, you know how uncomfortable the side effects can be.  You may regularly wake up  with headaches, jaw or facial pain, notice your teeth are wearing down, or experience disrupted sleep patterns.   Fortunately there is a simple solution that can dramatically change your life - being fitted for a nightguard.  Whatever your reason for wearing a night guard, consistent use of it offers five key advantages.

It Protects your Teeth from Wear 

Although not all wear and tear on the teeth happens at night, a lot of it can.  The nightly habit of unconsciously grinding and clenching your jaw can lead to chipped teeth, damaged fillings and excessive wear on the teeth.  Having the protection of a thin piece of plastic covering the occlusal surfaces of your teeth is kinder to them and when plastic meets tooth, it is the plastic that tends to wear - not the tooth surface. 

Alleviate Pain & Headaches

Unfortunately, there are a host of discomforts that accompany bruxism and TMD.  Patients often complain of a sore or tender jaw, morning headaches, ear aches, neck pain, sensitive teeth, muscle fatigue, facial pain and spasms.  A properly designed night guard will have a well adjusted, aligned and balanced bite which can "shutdown" the muscles in your jaw and allows them a night time rest. Many patients report their facial and jaw muscles are more relaxed when they wake up and that they no longer have headaches, jaw pain or other symptoms. 

Keep Your Teeth in Place 

Although teeth appear stationary, they are not.   The nightguard functions like an orthodontic retainer and wearing it nightly will keep your teeth in place and will not allow them to "drift".  This can be especially important for older patients.  The night guard acts like a splint and keeps teeth that have experienced bone loss from developing excessive mobility, which can help prevent tooth loss.

Improve Your Sleep Patterns  

Nightguards provide maximum comfort while minimizing your symptoms, which ends up drastically improving your sleep patterns. The nightguard positions your jaw in such a way that facilitates muscle relaxation, and by keeping these muscles relaxed, you can avoid the stress-filled, interrupted sleep that often accompanies bruxism and TMD.  Interrupted or impaired sleep can wreak havoc with your mood and energy levels, and can also increase your risk of heart disease, prevent you from losing weight, and raise your blood pressure.  

Money Saving in the Long-Term

The tooth damage caused by the unconscious nightly grinding and clenching of your teeth and jaw tends to be quite costly. Perhaps the greatest downside of teeth clenching is that it slowly but surely destroys your teeth over the years. When this happens, the restorative dental treatments required for both aesthetic and functional purposes are an expensive investment.   Just as important, nightguards may help you have the uninterrupted, restorative sleep we need to function at our best, and maintain the best possible health.

Nightguards are comfortable, practical, and affordable - and the benefits can be immediate.  Many patients report a restful night of sleep, and that their pain has disappeared, after wearing their nightguard for just one night.  At Jeff M. Morrison & Associates, getting your own nightguard is a simple process and typically is done with just two visits, one to create a custom mold of your teeth, and another to test the fitting. The advantages of wearing a nightguard are too great to ignore. If you think a nightguard might be right for you, contact Jeff M. Morrison & Associates and start protecting your teeth today.

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Warning Signs of Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth — or third molars — are our final set of molars and usually start to emerge between the ages of 16 and 25. They are known as “wisdom” teeth in most cultures because of their late arrival compared to other molars.  Like getting your braces off, the removal of wisdom teeth has become a dental “rite of passage” for many teens and young adults.

When your wisdom teeth start to emerge it can be painful - you may have pain towards the back of your jaw and inflammation.  However, it can be even worse if your wisdom teeth become impacted. Impacted wisdom teeth are trying to erupt but are unable to because there is not sufficient room for them to emerge.  This usually means they are painfully lodged in your jawbone and removal is necessary.

There are few oral health issues that can be as painful or disruptive to daily life as impacted wisdom teeth so its important that you are able to identify the issue as early as possible and receive the necessary care.  Some of the indicators include:

• Throbbing pain in the back of the mouth. Impacted wisdom teeth can cause a great deal of pain, particularly as the condition worsens. The pain may radiate from the back of the mouth, particularly focused on the area around the wisdom teeth and other molars and will worsen as the surrounding teeth begin to become affected.
• Swollen, tender and bleeding gums.  Impacted wisdom teeth can cause the gums to become swollen and tender to the touch. They may start to bleed when pressure is applied, making flossing and brushing both painful and difficult.
• Swelling around the jaw.  Impacted wisdom teeth are often accompanied by swelling of both the gums and jaw. It can be subtle at first, but can worsen quickly to the point that it can become painful or difficult to open your mouth, talk or chew.
• Swollen glands in the shoulder and neck. Impacted wisdom teeth are often accompanied by swollen glands in the shoulder and neck.
• Headaches.  Impacted wisdom teeth can cause headaches of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which connects the jaw and skull. This pain may radiate to other areas of the head and face as well.

Any of these symptoms are a good reason to call your dentist or doctor.  At the Raleigh dental practice of Jeff M. Morrison& Associates, we will conduct a thorough exam, including taking x-rays, and will rule out other issues such as gum disease, infection, decay or temporomandibular disorder, or TMD.  If you, (or your teen's) wisdom teeth are impacted we will want to remove them.  This can usually be done in our office or we can refer you to an oral surgeon.

A great way to prevent the pain of impacted wisdom teeth is to continue your routine preventive care as you get older.  As part of your dental exams, we will monitor the development of your wisdom teeth by taking X-rays periodically to track their position and movement.  If we believe they are likely to cause problems down the road we may suggest you have them removed as a preventive measure.  This is often done long before the teeth emerge because the longer wisdom teeth remain in the mouth the more developed their roots become, making their removal more complicated and the recovery time longer.  Since wisdom teeth will try to make room for themselves in a tightly packed jaw, they may also shift teeth that have been previously straightened with braces or other orthodontic devices, ruining the investment you made in your orthodontics. 

If you (or your teen) still have wisdom teeth, don't wait for complications to occur before talking with Dr. Morrison about your options.   Make an appointment with us today or call us at 919 755 3450.

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TMD Pain and What You Can Do

Like many of our other body parts, we don’t realize how important the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is until it stops working properly.  This unique joint allows your jaw to open and close and to move back and forth and side to side.  When problems with the TMJ arise, called Temporomandibular  joint disorder - or TMD[i], symptoms can range from being a simple nuisance to incapacitating, affecting your ability to speak, eat, chew and sleep.  Here is some information that may help if you are experiencing TMD:

Symptoms of TMD

Pain, particularly in the jaw joint, is the most common symptom of TMD.  People with TMD may also experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• Unusual sounds — Clicking, grinding or popping sounds when you open your mouth are common in people with TMD. The sounds may or may not be accompanied by pain.
• Locking or limited movement —The jaw joint sometimes may lock in an open or closed position. You may have difficulty opening your mouth either because the joint is locked or because of pain.
• "Ear" pain — You may think you have an ear infection, but ear pain may be related to jaw joint inflammation or muscle tenderness. Pain from TMD is usually felt in front of or below the ear.
• Headaches — People with TMD often report headaches, especially headaches when they first wake up.
• Morning stiffness or soreness — If your jaw muscles are stiff and sore when you wake up, it may by a sign that you are clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth in your sleep.
• Difficulty chewing — You may have difficulty chewing as a result of a change in your bite, or the way your upper and lower teeth fit together. 

Who Gets TMD and Why?

If you have TMD you are not alone - this disorder occurs in 10-12% of the population, and twice as often in women as men.  The cause is not always clear.  One factor may be physical stress on your TMJ from teeth grinding or clenching.  A recent injury to the jaw joint, or one from many years past, can lead to TMD symptoms.   Other conditions that affect joints in the body, such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, can also cause TMD pain.   

What Can You Do if you Have TMD?

Most people with TMD have relatively mild or periodic symptoms which quickly improve with simple home therapies, such as avoiding hard, crunchy and chewy foods, applying heat or ice packs to the jaw, and avoiding extreme jaw movements.  You may want to invest in a headset for your phone or work on your posture, especially if you find yourself hunching over your computer.  We also suggest that you consider the level of stress in your life - and do what is needed to reduce it.  If these home remedies are not enough, some of the effective, conservative treatments we use include medication to help with the pain and reduce inflammation, mild muscle relaxants to alleviate jaw clenching and grinding, and fitting our patients with oral appliances. 

If these symptoms sound familiar, contact Raleigh dentist Jeff M. Morrison & Associates DDS at (919) 755 3450 for a consultation.  

 

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[i] TMD is an umbrella term covering pain and dysfunction of the muscles that move the jaw and the temporomandibular joints (TMJ).  Many people refer to the jaw pain or discomfort they are experiencing as "TMJ" which is a misnomer.  TMJ simply refers to the joint.  Any disorders involving this joint are considered TMD.