Mouthguards in Fairfield Prevent Dental Injuries

Bruxism is a term where we describe that people grind their teeth or clench their teeth. The effects are very similar. What they’re doing is really destroying the enamel layer of the outer covering of your tooth. And once it’s gone, it’s gone. So, many people, they grind or brux when they’re asleep. They’re unaware of it. Like any other bad habit, unless you’re aware of it, you can’t control it. At night when you’re asleep, there’s no way that you can control it. So, if we make you a mouthguard that’s comfortable, then you’ll be able to protect your teeth at night. If you don’t do that, it just gets worse and worse and worse. I’ve seen people crack teeth in half. I’ve seen people grind them down to the gum level. Even those individuals did not know that that’s what was causing the problem.

I know of probably 10 different ways to make a mouthguard and 10 different kinds of mouthguards depending on what the situation is. So, if it’s simply just from grinding, there is a mouthguard that will just go over your front teeth. It’s very comfortable, easy to wear. Most people find that after one or two weeks, it’s something that they can wear very easily. There are different types of mouthguards that we can make, though, and find the one that works the best for you.

With athletic mouthguards, I find that the ones that you can buy at the sporting goods store, they just don’t fit that well, and people have a hard time using them. When I ask patients, younger patients, whether they use them, they said they’re uncomfortable, so they generally use them half the time or whatever.

What I found is that if you make a custom-made one, one that’s comfortable, they’re more likely to use it for the sport that they needed. I have a couple of patients that are into judo. He didn’t want to wear it, but once I made him a custom-made one, he said it was much more comfortable, and he wore it to protect his mouth and his teeth.

The steps to creating a mouthguard or making a mouthguard are very simple. We scan your teeth, you don’t have to make a mold anymore, we don’t have to put a putty into a tray and hold it in your mouth. We just scan your teeth, and in about three weeks, you have your custom-made mouthguard.