What Is A Night Guard?

The temporomandibular joints, called TMJ, are the joints and jaw muscles that make it possible to open and close your mouth.

Located on each side of the head, your TMJ work together when you chew, speak or swallow and include muscles and ligaments as well as the jaw bone.

Each TMJ has a disc between the ball and socket. The disc cushions the load while enabling the jaw to open widely and rotate or glide.

Possible causes of TMJ disorders include:

• arthritis
• dislocation
• injury
• tooth and jaw alignment
• stress and teeth grinding

Other signs of teeth grinding include jaw pain (especially in the morning), a feeling of “tired jaws”, ringing in the ears, neck or shoulder pain and even recurring headaches.

 Proper treatment for teeth grinding can restore your oral health, the function of your bite and improve your overall comfort.

In some cases, your dentist may recommend fixing an uneven bite by adjusting or reshaping some teeth. Orthodontic treatment may also be recommended.

Your dentist can suggest the most appropriate therapy based on the suspected cause.

𝐹𝑒𝑒𝓁 𝒞𝑜𝓃𝒻𝒾𝒹𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒢𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉 𝒮𝓂𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝒟𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒶𝓁!