Find out why a dental grind guard works so well to minimize teeth grinding effects

Most likely you or someone you know suffers from bruxism, a growing oral health condition that you may not be aware of, that is estimated to affect more than 70 million people in the United States alone.

Bruxism is defined as is excessive teeth grinding and/or jaw clenching, which is usually done subconsciously and more often than not occurs while sleeping. If left untreated, bruxism can result in significant and irreversible damage to your teeth.  As well, other painful secondary symptoms such as sleep disruption, headaches, neck pain, facial pain, sharp pain behind the eyes, vertigo, hearing problems, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), laryngitis or even numbness in the arm or hands can occur.

As you can imagine, bruxism can have unfortunately create quite a negative impact on your overall quality of life. While there is no medication currently available to treat bruxism, most medical experts do agree that the use of a dental grind guard is the most effective treatment in minimizing the damaging effects created by bruxism.

How a Dental Grind Guard Works

Dental grind guards are meant to prevent the upper and lower teeth from coming into contact with each other, thus protecting the tooth enamel from rubbing together, preventing the negative consequences of bruxism.  These types of products are removable and generally worn only when needed (i.e., at night or while sleeping).

Knowing the damaging effects that can be caused by bruxism, if you or someone you know suffers from this condition, it is important to address these symptoms before they become any more serious.  The good news is that it can usually be achieved with a very simple remedy – a dental grind guard.

The importance of treating Bruxism symptoms

Bruxing at night can occur for as long as 40 minutes for every hour of sleep at night, and with the exerted force of as much as 250 pounds.  To help further illustrate the magnitude of this type of force, pressure this strong can crack a walnut!  By contrast, chewing food is the equivalent of approximately 175 pounds of force, and when you are eating there is food in the mouth to help absorb the impact.

The habitual rubbing of tooth surfaces over time can lead not only to tooth sensitivity, but also fissures and cracks, which can comprise overall tooth health and lead to severely damaged teeth.  Chronic bruxing and its excessive force can also lead to other more serious conditions, like worn tooth enamel exposing the dentin, loose teeth, or lost contours where teeth have a flattened appearance.  Depending on the severity of the damage, it may require tooth restoration, or worse yet, tooth removal.

By wearing a dental grind guard, it can help alleviate the painful symptoms so commonly associated with bruxism, and help prevent any further tooth damage.

Cushioning for Jaw Muscles, relief from Headaches/TMJ Pain

A dental grind guard can also help alleviate headaches as well as the associated TMJ pain that can be attributed to bruxism.

The temporomandibular joints are flexible joints found on each side your head in front of your ear.  Responsible for all of your jaw movements, which includes eating and talking, they are the most active joints in the body and thus endure a lot of wear and tear. They connect your lower jaw to the temporal bone of the skull.

Excessive clenching and grinding puts an incredible amount of pressure on the joints.  This chronic and constant bruxing can result in severe headaches, pain and discomfort in the face, jaw joint, neck and shoulders while at rest, or during common movements such as talking, chewing and yawning.

Wearing a dental grind guard, like the Ora-GUARD® Dental Grind Guard, is designed to release tension on the TMJ muscle, while at the same time preventing tooth damage.

Ora-GUARD® the latest innovation in dental grind guards                                

Most dental grind guards on the market today, rely on “soft surface barriers” to keep teeth from grinding together at night. The problem is that this soft material does not allow your teeth and jaws to move naturally, meaning you still end up with a sore TMJ muscle in the morning.  Or, they are very bulky to wear and feel highly uncomfortable when worn.   Worse yet, some dental grind guard products are made of a soft material, which breaks down quickly under the intense pressure of heavy teeth grinding.  That means the life of these types of products can be measured in as little as a few weeks.

Ora-GUARD® is a different type of dental grind guard.  What sets it apart is its patented design—it starts by combining a soft, medical grade fit material for absorbing jaw clenching tension plus a hard surface bite plate wedge design.  This 2mm bite plate wedge design allows your teeth and jaws to slide naturally forward, protecting your teeth from the damaging effects of grinding and clenching, while at the same time releases tension on the TMJ muscle.

The end result?  The new, patented Ora-GUARD® dental grind guard is an effective and immediate over-the-counter treatment to minimize the tooth damage and TMJ/Headache pain associated with the symptoms of bruxism.

FDA cleared, the Ora-GUARD® dental grind guard is small enough to fit comfortably on your lower teeth.  Less bulk means a more comfortable product that will stay secure in the mouth when fit and worn as indicated.

The Ora-GUARD® dental grind guard was developed by Bite Tech, an innovation-driven oral health products company.  Bite Tech Inc. holds more than 45 patents and pending patents for its innovative, proprietary designs and technologies. Bruxism sufferers look to Bite Tech dental grind guards Ora-GUARD® for relief from teeth grinding and jaw pain while athletes in virtually all sports rely on athletic mouthguards manufactured by Bite Tech for protection and performance improvement on and off the field.

Find an Ora Guard® dental grind guard at Benco.