January 16, 2025 | January 16, 2025
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Mouth guards have paved the way forward in orthodontics by providing the ideal dental protection in case of any impact or unexpected shock on the teeth. But do they also help with teeth alignment? It may sound logical that a dental tool that does so much for our teeth would also help with teeth alignment, but the fact of the matter could not be further away from the truth.
Let’s dig into our blog to understand the complexity of mouth guards and their role in maintaining overall oral health.
Mouth guards and their primary purpose
Mouth guards are protective dental tools that help to keep your oral well-being. Primarily, there are two types of mouth guards in terms of use and purpose:
Night guards
They are typically made of clear plastic and are worn during the night to stop teeth from grinding. They are also used to stop snoring and maintain a neutral jaw position.
Sports guard
Have you seen athletes wearing something inside their mouths? Those are called sports guards and are worn while engaging in interactive sports. They assist in absorbing and dividing immense external pressure to minimize the impact.
Teeth straightening and mouth guards
Your teeth are straightened by adding pressure to them from certain places for a specific duration. For this propose teeth aligners are used. They are worn in a set of different pairs, each designed for various stages of treatment.
On the other hand, mouth guards are customised according to your oral structure. They remain the same until you need to replace them either for hygiene purposes or if you have undergone any changes in your oral structure.
Since guards have the same dimensions throughout the wearing duration, they can not change tooth alignment. It has been clear that mouth guards are not recommended for teeth alignment; however, indirectly, they do play a role in assisting teeth alignment. Let's see how!
Prevent bruxism
A variant of mouth guards called night guards is highly recommended by specialists globally as the most effective solution to deal with teeth grinding or bruxism. Teeth grinding in the daytime can be consciously controlled to some extent, however, controlling them during sleep isn't as easy as it sounds.
The jaws are therefore under a lot of pressure from the continuous crushing of teeth, which may eventually cause them to deform. Due to their weaker, more malleable bones, children are particularly vulnerable to bruxism-induced alignment changes.
The changed teeth alignment results in a changed bite, i.e., overbite, underbite, or crossbite. Now, here jumps the role of night guards. Night guards cushion between both the teeth arches, preventing clashing teeth.
Neutral jaw position
Jaw misalignment, also known as malocclusion, is similar to teeth clenching. It happens when your upper and lower jaw don't meet when you close your mouth. If not treated, it may affect the temporomandibular joint or TMJ, leading to TMJ disorders.
Such jaw tension may also shift the teeth out of their place, changing the alignment. In such scenarios, doctors recommend the use of night guards. They assist to relax jaws so that the pressure on the joint is alleviated.
Pair them with aligners
Since night aligners or full-time day aligners are worn during the night too, they are prone to scratches and damage due to colliding. However, pairing them with night guards can protect both your teeth and the aligners themselves, thus streamlining the process of teeth straightening.
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Conclusion
We hope you are now clear about the role of night guards in teeth straightening. If you were seeking them with the intent of teeth straightening, try to look for other alternatives, like all-day clear aligners or nightlong aligners.
However, we recommend investing in night guards due to their immense benefits. At Caspersmile, we offer high-quality night guards customized night guards to give our customers utmost comfort and long-lasting results.
FAQs
Do mouth guards straighten teeth?
Mouth guards don't directly straighten teeth, but they can indirectly prevent misalignment by protecting against grinding and maintaining proper jaw positioning, which could otherwise cause unexpected dental shifts.
Can mouth guards work with aligners?
Mouth guards can complement teeth aligners, particularly at night, by protecting both the aligners and teeth from potential damage caused by grinding, thus supporting the overall teeth straightening process.
