Do you clench or grind your teeth at night?
I do.
If you clench or grind your teeth you will need to wear a night guard to protect your teeth and your TMJ (jaw joint). Generally nightguards are made to wear at nighttime but I usually tell my patients if you have a stressful job and work on the computer and feel that your clamping down on your teeth you can wear it at those times as well.
Some signs of clenching or grinding are but not limited to:
1. deep wear facets on your teeth
2. flat cusps
3. chipped teeth on the incisal edges of teeth
4. abfractions ( which looks like large chips or wear along the gum line of your teeth.)
5. TMJ pain
6. Sudden jaw pain, locked jaw, tightness in the jaw.
7. Large masseters ( the cheek muscles) in some people these are very hypertrophied and can put a lot of force on the teeth especially at night.
8. Large demarcations on the side of the tongue.
If any of these sound familiar to you you may need a nightguard.