Night Guards

Do you wake up with tired or sore jaws? 

Do you have morning headaches?

Do you find yourself clenching your teeth?

Do your teeth feel sore or sensitive to temperature for no apparent reason?

Do your teeth look like they are being ground down?

If you said yes to any of these questions, you could be grinding your teeth at night.

Grinding your teeth at night and the abnormal forces it creates can cause damage to your teeth. Grinding can also cause other symptoms, such as headaches, jaw pain or stiffness, sore or sensitive teeth and the possibility of worse problems with your jaw.

At Seaman Family Dentistry, we can create a custom night guard for you, which will protect your teeth from further wear and alleviate the other symptoms you may be experiencing. A night guard is a removable appliance that fits over the biting surface of the teeth, so it takes the brunt of the force of any grinding.

There can be a fine line between needing a night guard and having TMJ (the temporomandibular joint or jaw joint) problems which require additional treatment. The clenching and grinding can also lead to problems in the jaw joint, though night guards often help stop the development of further TMJ problems in addition to protecting the teeth.

This procedure is rather simple.

• First, an impression is taken of your upper and lower teeth. The models from these impressions are then sent off to a dental lab for appliance fabrication. We typically use a lower Gelb or Temporomandibular type of appliance.
• When the appliance arrives, we fit the appliance to your mouth and your bite. Instructions vary on how long to wear the appliance depending on individual cases, but they are typically worn just at night.

If you believe you are having problems which could be improved with the use of a night guard in Lenexa, Kansas, give us a call at 913-631-2626 to schedule an appointment with our dentist for a complete examination and X-rays. Once Dr. Robert Seaman has completed an examination and confirms that a night guard will help you, then we will proceed.