Night Guards in Houston, TX

Night guards serve to keep your jaw from drifting away from its correct position as you sleep. This helps prevent nighttime teeth grinding and jaw clenching while allowing you to breathe and swallow naturally.

Are you interested in getting a night guard in Houston, TX? Smile Unique Dental and Orthodontics provides high quality, custom-fitted night guards to help you sleep better. Contact us at (832) 391-8660 for a consultation, or if you have any questions.

What is a Night Guard?

A night guard is a dental appliance. It’s made of plastic and silicone and sits over the upper teeth, preventing damage to the teeth caused by grinding and clenching. Other names for night guards include mouth guards and sleep dental appliances.
If you wear braces and grind your teeth at night, you might be recommended a night guard to prevent damage to the braces while you sleep.

Your local orthodontist at Smile Unique Dental and Orthodontics can help you get started with a custom night guard in Houston, TX.

What is a Night Guard?

Do I Need A Night Guard?

If you clench or grind your teeth at night, you would benefit from a night guard. This medical condition is known as bruxism, causing you to unconsciously grind or clench them while you are asleep or awake. A common treatment for bruxism is wearing a night guard.

Night guards are important because they prevent damage to your teeth caused by many accumulated hours of grinding, gnashing and clenching your jaw. People living with bruxism can commonly have:

  • Headaches or jaw pain
  • Soreness in their jaw muscles
  • Hypersensitivity to cold or hot foods
  • Chipped teeth
  • Broken teeth
  • Worn down teeth, also known as dental attrition

If you experience any of these symptoms, it can drastically interfere with the quality of your life. Looking for a custom night guard in Houston? Our orthodontists can help. Give us a call at (832) 391-8660 to schedule a personal consultation.

What Types of Night Guards Are Available?

While an orthodontist will usually fit patients with night guards that are right for their needs, there are different varieties to choose from.

Boil and Bite Night Guard

These can be made right in your dentist’s office as you wait. Boil and bite night guards are made from a special material that softens when boiled, allowing you to create an impression by biting down on them. Once they harden, they fit the shape and contours of your teeth. Due to their ease of use and availability, they are less expensive than a custom-fitted counterpart.

Some drawbacks of boil and bite night guards is that they only protect the front teeth instead of the entire upper arch of teeth. They are also prone to breakage and warping.

Custom Fit Night Guard

A custom fitted night guard is more involved, and therefore more expensive to produce. However, they protect the entire upper arch of teeth, instead of just the front teeth. This means less jaw pain, and more comfort as you sleep.

They are significantly more comfortable than boil and bite night guards because they are not made directly from a bite-down impression of your teeth. They also fit better and do not shrink over time, and they are more resistant to breakage or warping.

Ready to sleep better and get a night guard in Houston? Smile Unique Dental and Orthodontics can get you set up with a night guard to prevent unnecessary wear and tear on your teeth. Contact us at (832) 391-8660 to schedule an appointment.
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