If you wake up with a sore neck, jaw pain, or find that you feel tired every morning, you could be experiencing bruxism, or grinding and clenching of the jaw. Bruxism is a serious disorder that can cause tightness and discomfort in the temporomandibular joint which can lead to pain while eating, yawning, or speaking. While many bruxers ignore the numerous symptoms associated with grinding and clenching their teeth, bruxism can be easily alleviated with the use of a night guard.

Throughout this article, we’ll discuss the differences between a soft night guard and a hard night guard, and explain why a hard night guard might be beneficial for heavy bruxers. If you are susceptible to grinding and clenching in your sleep or throughout the day, consider purchasing one of our night guards from our online store. We offer proven products that were designed to relieve nocturnal bruxing symptoms to help you achieve the restful night of sleep you’ve been searching for. Read more below to see why a night guard may be right for you.

What Causes Bruxism?

There are many factors that can cause individuals to clench or grind their teeth. According to The Bruxism Association, “Demographic and lifestyle factors such as young age, higher educational status, smoking, caffeine intake and heavy alcohol consumption are associated co-factors of bruxism.” While these variables can cause bruxism, the leading factor of grinding and clenching is associated with anxiety and stress. Unresolved stress accumulated throughout the day can cause many individuals discomfort at night, as nocturnal bruxism can be detrimental to one’s quality of sleep. For this reason, if you feel that you may be experiencing sleep bruxism, you should consider wearing a night guard while sleeping.

How Night Guards Can Help Heavy Bruxers

Night guards are a common tool to curb sleep bruxism, and are also known as “deprogrammers,” as they train individuals to avoid clenching throughout the night. By creating a protective layer between the upper and lower dentition, night guards prevent harmful occlusion such as shifting and grinding throughout the night. Through continuous use, night guards train the teeth and jaw muscles to relax, while aligning the jaw to prevent locking and clenching.

While soft night guards can help mild cases of bruxism, it is recommended that heavy bruxers find a hard acrylic night guard that aligns with the anatomy of their mouth. In fact, some studies report that soft night guards can actually increase the severity of one’s bruxism, causing an increased level of teeth grinding and clenching. If you wake up with headaches, neck pain, ear aches, or muscle soreness in the jaw, it is advisable that you try wearing a hard acrylic night guard while sleeping to help ease any discomfort you may be experiencing throughout the night.

If you wake up with symptoms that indicate night time bruxing, a night guard could help you considerably. Improve your quality of sleep and relieve your muscles of tightness and soreness by purchasing one of Archtek Dentistry’s Grind Guards. As our way of saying thank you, all first-time customers receive five percent off their first order! Change the way you sleep today by choosing one of our highly effective night guards from our online store.