What is a Dental Appliance?
Keeping up good oral health involves much more than just brushing and flossing your teeth. For people who clench and grind their teeth, who play sports, or who snore, dental appliances prescribed by your dentist can help to preserve and protect oral structures as well as the health of our entire body.
Dental appliances offered at Riverside Family Dentistry – such as mouth guards for sports or sleep – are used to help protect the health of your oral cavity.
Sports Guards in Ottawa
If you get hit in the mouth during sports, a mouth guard can provide a barrier between the teeth and the soft tissue of your mouth to protect your smile.
This can be helpful if you are currently undergoing orthodontic treatment. While teeth are being moved, they naturally become a bit looser. A sports guard can protect the teeth when they would be otherwise quite damaged.
Night Guards in Ottawa
If you grind your teeth during sleep, a mouth guard will help protect them from damage. If you clench your jaw, a mouth guard will also help prevent you from doing so and provide some pain relief.
While it may feel odd at first, many people do get used to the sensation of sleeping with a mouth guard. These dental appliances typically last a few years, depending on how well they are cared for. The severity of your nighttime grinding may also influence the longevity of your appliance.
Snoring & Sleep Apnea Appliances
For patients who snore, their relaxed throat tissues cause the airway to restrict, creating the sound of snoring as oxygen is forced past.
For patients with sleep apnea, their throat tissues over-relax and obstruct the airway, forcing the brain to wake them up to breathe.
Sleep disorders can disrupt your sleep and negatively impact your overall health and well-being. Sleep disorders can lead to complications like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and even liver problems.
At Riverside Family Dentistry, we provide custom-fitted oral appliances to move the lower jaw and tongue muscles to open the airway. This helps improve your flow of breath and prevents you from waking up throughout the night.
If you're curious about how a snoring or sleep apnea appliance can help you sleep and benefit your oral health and overall well-being, feel free to call us and schedule an appointment.