A nightguard is a hard or soft retainer-like piece of plastic. It is a protective device that covers one's gums and teeth to prevent and reduce the injury of the arches, gums, or teeth.
Types Of Nightguards
Generally, three types of dental night guards are used for patients. They are:
- Hard nightguard.
- Custom-made.
- Over-the-counter.
What are the qualities one should focus on while choosing nightguards?
Though dental night guards can be worn on both the top or bottom sets of teeth but there are some factors that one should consider before it.
Comfort-Level
Comfort should be of top quality as one will spend the night with a device in his mouth.
Teeth Condition
The teeth condition should play a vital part in helping one to decide the ideal nightguard. As a custom-made nightguard is generally made from one's teeth impression, he should choose the set that does not have too many missing or crooked teeth.
Pros And Cons Of The Dental Night Guard
Some pros and cons are mentioned below, which come with choosing to use a dental night guard to prevent teeth clenching during the night.
During one sleep time, it protects the teeth from damage by shielding the effects of clenching while sleeping.
Due to clasping, one's teeth during the night put a lot of stress on the jaw, resulting in jaw pain, headaches, and even migraines.
However, it often takes a person a few weeks to become accustomed to wearing a night guard. Also, placing it in the mouth every night for about 10 minutes before going to bed makes some people uncomfortable.
Conclusion
It is always recommended for all to consult a professional who can diagnose one with bruxism.
