MOUTHGUARDS & SPLINTS
MOUTHGUARDS
A lot of Aussies play a contact sport and often the thought that they risk injuring their teeth doesn't occur to them until the damage is done!
Many contact and non-contact sports can cause serious dental injuries which are often difficult to treat and often involve a lifetime of expense. Some serious sporting injuries are fractured/cracked teeth, teeth can be knocked out, cut lips and tongues and even broken jaws.
Mouthguards aid to prevent these dental traumas by absorbing and spreading the impact of the damaging blow. Mouthguards are specifically custom made to fit over your teeth and designed to fit the exact contours of your mouth, they are far superior to over-the-counter mouthguards allowing speech and normal breathing. Self fitted over-the-counter mouthguards can impede breathing and speaking, fit loosely and even more concerning, they can wedge in the back of the throat with impact which can be life threatening.
At Word of Mouth Dentistry our clinicians can design and fit sports mouthguards and they can even be made in your teams colours. Despite your age or experience you should consider mouthguards a mandatory part of your sporting equipment.
SPLINTS
Have you ever had pain in your teeth and sensitivity to heat and cold?
Chronic facial pain with tension headaches caused by intense muscle contraction?
Are your teeth flattened and worn down?
Experience earaches or pain in the jaw joint?
Stiffness and pain in the jaw joint muscles which can limit your ability opening and chewing?
If you have answered yes to the above you may be suffering from Bruxism (teeth grinding).
Bruxism is grinding of the teeth or excessive clenching that is not normal chewing movements. Sometimes you will not even realise you are doing this in your day to day life. It is common to occur while you are sleeping when you have no conscious control over it.
Bruxism can cause permanent damage to the teeth and jaw joints including excessive wear on your teeth. Adults and children can experience bruxism and it is often caused by physical and phychological factors such as stress, anxiety, dehydration and nutritional deficiencies. The causes continue to be studied.
At Word of Mouth Dentistry our clinical team can identify if you are suffering from Bruxism and discuss treatment options depending on the severity. One option could be to wear an Occlusal Splint which is worn at night to prevent further wear on the tooth surfaces.
If you feel you could be suffering with Bruxism contact us for a consultation or let us know at your next check up and clean and we can assess your symptoms.
