Custom Dental Appliances for snoring and grinding

Dental appliances are often part of a cosmetic and restorative dental treatment plan to protect your new or recently improved smile. Does your jaw feel stiff or do you have difficulty opening your mouth wide? Are your teeth sensitive to cold drinks? Do your jaw muscles feel tired in the morning? You may be grinding your teeth at night? You aren't alone, research has shown that 44 million Americans suffer from chronic clenching and grinding( a medical condition called bruxism) or you may be clenching your teeth, which can be just as harmful. People with nighttime grinding habits may wear away their tooth enamel “ten times faster” than those without “abusive chewing habits.”Eventually, your teeth may be worn down and destroyed. In addition to relieving head, neck, jaw joint and shoulder pains, treating bruxism and clenching is cost effective compared to ignoring the condition and exposing teeth to continued grinding.Without treatment, crowns (caps), bridges, implants and dentures are often needed to repair or replace worn and damaged teeth. Ask your dentist if a nightguard can help to provide temporary relief from grinding, bruxing or clenching. Nightguards are custom made and are easy to insert & remove.

The signs and symptoms of bruxism may include:

• Teeth grinding or clenching, which may be loud enough to wake your sleep partner
• Teeth that are worn down, flattened or chipped
• Worn tooth enamel, exposing the inside of your tooth
• Increased tooth sensitivity
• Jaw pain or tightness in your jaw muscles
• Earache — because of violent jaw muscle contractions, not a problem with your ear
• Dull morning headache
• Chronic facial pain
• Chewed tissue on the inside of your cheek

Treatment:

• Stress Management
• Behavior Therapy
• Medications
• Dental Solutions: Restoring proper dental occlussion (proper bite) is vital to reducing the affects of clenching and grinding. In some case this is done through surgery, in other cases it is done through the placement of porcelain or metal prosthetics. Most commonly this is treated through the fabrication of oral appliances. There are two types of appliances that are most commonly used.

Hard-Soft Full Coverage Occlusal Guard

This appliance covers the biting surface of either the upper or lower teeth and allows your jaw joints and muscles to function more smoothly. It will allow the jaw to find its best position because the guard prevents the teeth from locking together. It should reduce muscle spasm, clenching habits, jaw/joint pain, teeth wear, and cracked teeth.

NTI-TSS PLUS Dental Appliance

The NTI appliance functions very much like the hard-soft full coverage appliance but is preferred by many dentists and patients because it is less bulky and only covers upper or lower front 2 teeth. Its small size and comfortable fit generally leads to better patient compliance and in turn better treatment results.

What is Snoring?

Is snoring simply an innocent by-product of sleep? Is it merely annoying to a bed partner, but of no consequence to the one who snores?
The answer to both questions depends on the severity of the snoring. Virtually all of us snore from time to time. In fact, it is estimated that 1/3 of the worlds population snores and of that 1/3 40% have obstructed sleep apnea. For some, snoring is no more that an occasional, inconvenient habit; but chronic heavy, loud snoring, can be more serious.

Why Do I Snore?

Snoring usually occurs when your tongue and lower jaw relax during sleep. This causes them to fall back into the airway. This partial blockage of the airway reduces the amount of oxygen passing through to your lungs. Your body naturally reacts to this by increasing your breathing. This increase in the speed and pressure of your breathing causes the soft tissues at the back of the throat to vibrate. This is what causes the simple snoring noise.

How does the TheraSnore Work?

The TheraSnore stops the snoring noise by preventing the jaw and tongue from dropping back into the airway. The first night you wear the TheraSnore appliance should be a quiet night. It takes only a few nights to fully adapt to wearing the TheraSnore. By the end of the week you should be sleeping quietly all night long. The Adjustable TheraSnore is 93 percent effective in treating snoring and mild to moderate sleep apnea.

Much like eyeglasses, the TheraSnore is a painless treatment for snoring and causes no permanent changes to your body. Your TheraSnore should last 18 to 24 months. On some patients who grind their teeth the life span of the TheraSnore can be reduced to 12 to 15 months.The TheraSnore is one of the least expensive medical treatments for snoring available to you today.)

Interested? First see your physician

If you snore heavily and are interested in trying dental appliance therapy, it's very important that you are thoroughly examined by a physician or a sleep specialist first. The examination may involve staying overnight at a sleep study center.

It's important that this examination is done first, because you may have sleep apnea without realizing it. In a study conducted at Stanford University in California, one out of three chronic, severe snorers were found to have a harmful degree of sleep apnea.

The following links provide educational advice on snoring and sleep apnea. (Please note we do not have any affiliation with the following organizations nor do we endorse their services in any way. Links are intended for educational purposes only)