[sbbi]

Hi Bryanna,

I clench my teeth during sleep. (BTW do you know if there is anyway to "cure/address" this behavior?) And i have been wearing night guard lately. My night guard fits my upper front teeth so the molars will not be able to touch each other. However, I feel in that way the front teeth have too much pressure during the whole night and i do feel discomfort in my upper front teeth after wearing it.. I think the discomfort is due to 2 factors
1. The main reason I think is all the pressures are put on my upper front teeth while wearing the night guard
2. The night guard fits my upper front teeth too firmly due to the pressure, and in the morning it is even quite hard to remove it.
I do not know if this is normal.. I am worried it will crack/damage my upper front teeth eventually.

My general dentist suggested use the "full mouth" night guard, which i understand fits into all the teeth. But I feel in that way, my molars will continue getting pressure during the night, and will continue grinding something (with night guard, instead of other molars though)

Also have you heard about "The Doctor's Night Guard Advanced Comfort"? It is sold in Target/Walmart/Amazon..

Thank you!

[Bryanna]

Hi sbbi,

Many people clench or grind their teeth at night. Sometimes it is caused by a misaligned bite and/or stress. The nightguard should be designed to cover ALL of the upper OR lower teeth....depending on the individual problem. The reason for covering all of the teeth in one arch and not just the front is to create an even amount of pressure during the grinding episodes. Think of it as all of the teeth sharing the burden instead of just a few of them. This actually helps to decrease the pressure overall.

Nightguards that only fit across the front teeth create a very unnatural pattern of pressure because the front teeth are not designed to grind into each other in the first place whereas the posterior teeth are designed to grind and chew our food.

The discomfort that you are feeling in your front teeth after wearing your nightguard indicates that you are putting too much pressure on them. If this continues, you risk inflammation of the pulp which could lead to nerve damage and infection. It could also cause periodontal disease because the perio ligament which helps to anchor the teeth in the jaw will loosen up from the grinding and pocketing will develop....etc.

I am not familiar with the OTC nightguard that you mention. In my opinion it is imperative to have a well fitting nightguard and the only sure way to do that is to have your dentist make one for you.

Bryanna

Originally Posted by sbbi

Hi Bryanna,

I clench my teeth during sleep. (BTW do you know if there is anyway to "cure/address" this behavior?) And i have been wearing night guard lately. My night guard fits my upper front teeth so the molars will not be able to touch each other. However, I feel in that way the front teeth have too much pressure during the whole night and i do feel discomfort in my upper front teeth after wearing it.. I think the discomfort is due to 2 factors
1. The main reason I think is all the pressures are put on my upper front teeth while wearing the night guard
2. The night guard fits my upper front teeth too firmly due to the pressure, and in the morning it is even quite hard to remove it.
I do not know if this is normal.. I am worried it will crack/damage my upper front teeth eventually.

My general dentist suggested use the "full mouth" night guard, which i understand fits into all the teeth. But I feel in that way, my molars will continue getting pressure during the night, and will continue grinding something (with night guard, instead of other molars though)

Also have you heard about "The Doctor's Night Guard Advanced Comfort"? It is sold in Target/Walmart/Amazon..

Thank you!