Healthy Smiles Family Dental

Are your teeth and jaws often sore? You may have temporomandibular joint disorder, also known as TMD. Biannual dental appointments aren’t just a chance for you to get a professional dental cleaning. At Healthy Smiles Family Dental in Salem, we also perform bite checks to determine whether a patient is at risk for the pain and dental trauma that can result from jaw problems. Bruxism is the name for nighttime teeth grinding and jaw clenching. It may be done in response to obstructive sleep apnea, but it could also be due to psychological causes or discomfort from misaligned jaws. It can wear down enamel and cause teeth to crack or be pushed out of place. The pressure from bruxism can also cause soreness to develop in the temporomandibular joint, which connects the mandible to the skull, and may radiate as far as the top of the head and the neck and shoulders. If a person is grinding their teeth at night (or while awake), our hygienists will be able to find evidence of it in the wear patt...

Night guards have saved many people’s teeth. We at Healthy Smiles Family Dental in Salem commonly treat people who have compromised enamel and jaw pain from nighttime teeth grinding, and we’re happy when people find a way to protect themselves. A custom-fitted night guard not only prevents teeth from rubbing together, it can also help people to breathe more easily. But like any oral appliance, a night guard had to be kept clean or it will contribute to halitosis and become a home for bacteria. Night guard manufacturers make their own cleaning products and advise patients on how to care for individual products. Their websites often feature cleaning solutions or dissolvable tablets, and people can get good results with these, but they are still advised to scrub their night guards daily. Only soft-bristled toothbrushes should be used and toothpaste should be avoided. Plastic is not as resilient as enamel and can be scratched by fluoride and other minerals in toothpaste. It is a good idea ...