People use mouth guards to keep their teeth in place. They can be hard or soft and made of plastic. Because each individual has a distinct set of teeth, a mouth guard is created by molding it to fit their teeth without being uncomfortable or bulky. They are essential in elderly home care routine. This has many different names, so when medical professionals talk about a mouth guard, occlusal guard, bite splint, dental guard, or nocturnal bite plate, they're talking about the same thing, even though they call it different things. If you're over 65, you need to wear a mouth guard to protect your teeth. Elderly people should always wear mouth guards to protect their teeth due to following seven reasons.
1. Prevent Plaque Growth
It would be best to not complicate a sports mouth guard with one meant to stop teeth grinding and clenching. There is no reasonable logic to using a sports mouth guard. It covers the teeth and gums because it is meant to protect them from being hit by a hard object. If you wear a sports mouth guard at night, bacteria can stay on the surface of your gums because saliva can't get to them while you sleep. This is why it is important to get a custom mouth guard.
2. Keep Your Bite the Same
A mouth guard is usually made to fit your teeth and bite so that it can stop them from grinding against each other at night when you sleep. Because sports mouth guards are soft and made of thicker rubber, they don't fit your bite. When you sleep, your brain thinks the soft material is food, so you'll chew on it while you're asleep. This could cause muscle pain. As time goes on, your bite will change. If you wear a sports mouth guard at night, your teeth may move. After a while, your bite would change, and the effect would show up when you did that.
3. Prevent Teeth Damage
There are times when you are not in control, and your teeth start to grind. If you do this a lot, this can cause your teeth to lose enamel. An eroded tooth makes you more sensitive. As a result, your mouth may not be able to stand hot or cold drinks and food. In addition, without enamel to protect your teeth, your teeth become more prone to decay. When the decay gets into the hard enamel of your teeth, you're more likely to get infections from them.
4. Do not get a lot of chronic headaches
Chronic neck pain and headaches are usually the first signs that you might have bruxism because TMJ problems cause migraines, which are caused by pain in the jaw joints. Tense muscles cause headaches in the neck and shoulders and the muscles in the mouth and jaw. You can also study to see if your headaches are caused by grinding your teeth and clenching your jaw. One way to figure out if you grind your teeth while you sleep is to look at the surface of your teeth. If they are flat instead of pointed, you likely do this while you sleep. Some people look for receding gum and bone because they clench their teeth all the time. Custom-made mouth guards do not cause headaches because you don't have to tense up your muscles anymore.
5. Save Money
Getting a sports boil and bite mouth guard that fits everyone costs $20, but it's not recommended because it will be too tight and make your teeth hurt. A custom-made mouth guard from the dentist’s office can cost up to $800, which can seem like a lot of money to most people who grind their teeth. However, it would be best not to let the money stop you from getting a mouth guard, and there are online options available to save money. Because a mouth guard costs less than restorative dentistry, you should buy one. When your teeth start to wear down and break, restorative dentistry will be the only way to fix them. Fillings, crowns, tooth loss, which can be replaced with implants, and correcting your bite are all expensive things that need to be done.
6. Support a good night’s sleep
If you sleep with your teeth clenched, you're more likely to wake up when you do. A custom mouth guard will help you get a better night's sleep. When you clench your teeth, mouth guards take a lot of the force. This is because custom mouth guards for teeth grinding at night are made to help you keep your muscles relaxed while you're sleeping.
7. Avoid having trouble with your jaw
Many people clench their teeth during the night, which puts a lot of stress on their jaws. This means that many people who clench their teeth will have different levels of jaw pain. This pain in their jaws can lead to them having headaches and migraines all the time, making it hard for them to work during the day.
Conclusion
When you grind and clench your teeth while you sleep, this can cause headaches, tooth sensitivity, or TMJ pain. Even f you don't have an oral hygiene expert, you can get a custom-made mouth guard.
