TMJ and Sleep Apnea Devices

Chronic clenching or grinding of your teeth damages all the structures involved - your teeth, dental work, and your jaw. Even if you don't have any pain or suffer from any other dental diseases, over time you will permanently lose the enamel you have to excessive wear. 

Grinding and clenching also exacerbates periodontal or gum disease and greatly reduces the lifespan of your dental work. Over time, the muscles of your jaw and the joint itself may also break down, leading to pain and disability that is difficult to reverse. 

All it takes is wearing a custom, hard night guard designed to address your unique temporomandibular joint disease diagnosis to combat this!

"Boil and bite" night guards are often too thick and squishy to comfortably wear all night. Counterproductively, the soft material promotes more subconscious clenching, which does nothing for jaw pain. 

Because the material is pliable and not calibrated to your bite, it may allow your teeth to move around within the appliance and cause bite changes. For this same reason, we also do not recommend services that create hard night guards for clients without any in-person contact, because effective night guards require in person adjustments to ensure they are safe to use.

Talk to your doctor about getting a sleep study to diagnose your obstructive sleep apnea. If you are affected and CPAP machines don't appeal to you, an oral appliance may be a good idea.