Bruxism Appliances

If you have any of the following signs or symptoms, you may be grinding your teeth ("bruxing"), or clenching your jaw muscles. The result can be catastrophic, but early intervention with an occlusal guard is easy and effective:

•Tired or sore jaw muscles ("myalgia")—frequently on awakening

•Clicking, popping, locking or grating in your jaw joints (Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction, or TMD)

•Pain in your jaw joints when you bite or close

•Chipped or worn teeth, or dental restorations that keep breaking

•Craze lines, cracks, or flat spots ("wear facets") that are visible in your teeth, and get noticeably worse over relatively short periods of time. Your dentist may be able to track it with photographs of key wear spots at each visit.

•Teeth that have notches ("abfractions") at the gum line

•Teeth that are generally sensitive, and other causes have been ruled out.

Occlusal guards are made of rigid or semi-rigid materials like laboratory-processed acrylic. They are generally made to be worn over the biting surfaces of either the upper or lower teeth, and are easily inserted and removed by the patient.