Night (Occlusal) Mouthguards

Night Mouthguards for Teeth Grinding

Night mouthguards, also known as occlusal guards, are essential for individuals who experience unintentional clenching and grinding, a condition known as bruxism. This habit can occur during sleep or throughout the day and may lead to significant damage to your teeth, as well as gum and bone loss due to the persistent pressure from your bite.

Commonly referred to as night guards, bite guards, or bite splints, these removable appliances fit over your upper or lower teeth while you sleep. They are designed to protect your teeth from the harmful effects of grinding and clenching. Made from durable yet comfortable materials like acrylic or thermoplastic, night mouthguards are custom-fitted to ensure maximum protection and comfort.

Benefits of Night Mouthguards

• Protect Teeth: Night mouthguards safeguard your teeth from wear, fractures, and chips caused by grinding or clenching during sleep.
• Prevent Gum and Bone Loss: They help protect against damage to your gums and bone due to the sustained pressure from clenching and grinding.
• Relieve Jaw Tension: By reducing stress on the jaw muscles and temporomandibular joints (TMJ), these mouthguards can alleviate pain and discomfort.
• Minimize Headaches: Night guards can help prevent tension headaches associated with bruxism.
• Safeguard Dental Work: They protect existing dental restorations from damage or failure due to clenching and grinding forces.

Athletic Mouthguards vs. Night Mouthguards

While both athletic mouthguards and night mouthguards serve to protect your teeth, they are designed for different purposes. Athletic mouthguards extend higher to cover your gums and soft tissues, offering comprehensive protection against impacts during sports. In contrast, night mouthguards are typically shorter to prevent irritation from prolonged pressure on your gums and soft tissues, focusing specifically on managing teeth clenching and grinding.

Sleep Soundly with a Night Mouthguard

Dental night mouthguards provide an effective solution for those suffering from nighttime teeth grinding or jaw clenching. A custom-fitted night mouthguard can relieve jaw pain, protect your teeth from further wear, and ultimately improve your quality of life. Merrimack Smiles proudly makes customized night mouthguard solutions for patients in Merrimack, NH and surrounding communities.

Reserve your appointment at Merrimack Smiles today to learn how our night mouthguards can help you achieve better oral health and sleep soundly through the night!

Why Choose Merrimack Smiles?

At Merrimack Smiles, Doctors Mark S. Morris, Julia F. Kapala, and Catherine G. Cagino aim to change how patients view dentistry. They focus on providing proactive preventative family dental care, striving to eliminate unexpected worries and improve health to enhance the everyday lives of our patients. At Merrimack Smiles, we treat more than just teeth; we care for people, creating an environment where they feel heard, respected, and valued.

By empowering our patients through education and helping them understand their dental health and options, we ensure our patients feel informed and confident in the decisions they make regarding their care. We aspire to change how our patients perceive dentistry by providing proactive preventative care that eliminates unexpected worries and enhances their everyday lives.

As the only B Corp-certified dental office in Northern New England, we dedicate ourselves to the health and betterment of our community. We conduct business with a focus on people and place, implementing best practices in governance and sustainability to create positive impacts that extend beyond our practice’s doors.

At Merrimack Smiles, we do things differently. Experience the difference. Come smile with us!