Does It Help To Use Dental Mouth Guard
In Bruxism?

Use of dental mouth guard for Bruxism teeth grinding condition is a commonly recommended option to deal with the symptoms of Bruxism.

Features of dental mouth guard for Bruxism

1. Dental mouth guards are devices used to protect teeth from the grinding and clenching motions of Bruxism.
2. The acute forms of Bruxism can leave a person’s teeth with severe wear and tear and to eliminate such damage, mouth guards are often the favored coping techniques prescribed to deal with Bruxism.
3. Dental mouth guards come in various forms of splints and bite guards that are worn over teeth. These devices, in effect, take on the wear and tear of teeth grinding and protect the teeth themselves.
4. Dental mouth guards are available off the counter too and can be used by anyone who suspects that their teeth grinding can lead to irreparable damage to teeth (consultations with a dentist is however recommended).
5. A lot of dental mouth guards come custom fitted to an individual’s teeth. Such types of mouth guards offer the best form of protection against damage to teeth caused by Bruxism.

Dental mouth guards – a critique

While the theory behind the use of dental mouth guards seems valid at first instance, its use is often misleading since as a mere coping technique these devices do not solve, or indeed, address the real problems that cause Bruxism.

People suffering from Bruxism are often known to spend huge amounts on dental mouth guards to deal with the condition because of a genuine lack of knowledge about the causes and the possibilities of eliminating (or at the very least, minimizing) the symptoms of Bruxism.

Without attending to the root causes of Bruxism teeth grinding condition, the usages of dental mouth guards are at best of very limited help. One school of thought in fact dissuades the use of dental mouth guards since they tend to cause (in some cases) a kind of dependency on the devices.

For optimum results of use of dental mouth guards for Bruxism, it should be accompanied with other forms of ways to treat the condition. The aim should be to get rid of Bruxism. Not live with it. Mouth guards encourage living with a potentially damaging condition.

Since Bruxism is a multifactorial condition, its solutions are also multidisciplinary in nature. It is highly recommended that the use of any coping device be accompanied by holistic means of eliminating Bruxism.