Best Retainer For Teeth Grinding (Top 3)
By
Dr Shivam Jha
This blog post will address the topic,”best retainer for teeth grinding” and cover topics like can wearing a retainer help with teeth grinding, do retainers work as night guards, should you wear a night guard if you grind your teeth, night guard alternatives for teeth grinding, are retainers any good if used as a night guard, what is teeth grinding, possible causes of teeth grinding, how to know that you grind your teeth, do braces help with teeth grinding and how do braces help with teeth grinding.
Best Retainer For Teeth Grinding
Some of the best night guard retainers for teeth grinding are:
- Smile Brilliant Night Guard
- Pro Teeth Guard
- Sentinel 3mm Night Dental Guard
- Cheeky Mouthguard
- Sporting Smiles Teeth Grinding Night Guard – Flexible Super Hard
The above night guards are best in terms of value and comfort and also provide protection from teeth grinding and its associated symptoms.
Retainers As Night Guards: Are They Good?
Retainers can be used as a night guard if it covers your upper or lower jaw completely and is made of hard plastic material.
Normal retainers are designed to keep the teeth in their new moved position after taking off the braces and therefore made of soft plastic which will not be able to bear the teeth grinding pressure.
Teeth grinding exerts a lot of pressure which normal retainers cannot withstand and will tear off or damage.
Night guards are specifically designed for bearing the pressure of teeth grinding and are anytime better than normal retainers.
Can Wearing A Retainer Help With Teeth Grinding?
Yes, wearing a night guard retainer helps with teeth grinding and gives relief from its symptoms such as jaw pain, headaches and sensitivity resulting from enamel abrasion.
Night guards are better for teeth grinding than normal retainers. A Retainer is generally used to retain the new position of teeth after braces are taken off while night guards that look almost similar to retainers, are used to protect the teeth against teeth grinding.
Retainers can also provide little protection against teeth grinding but are less effective when compared to night guards.
Do retainers work as night guards?
Retainers might work as night guards but are not as effective in protecting your teeth as night guards.
Retainers are made of soft plastic and get damaged easily with holes in them as they are not designed to bear the pressure resulting from teeth grinding.
Therefore, it is recommended that you visit your dentist and get yourself a night guard for full protection from teeth grinding and its painful symptoms.
Should I wear a night guard if I grind my teeth?
Yes, wearing a night guard will help protect your teeth from being abraded due to teeth grinding.
Before wearing a night guard, you must consult your dentist as your dentist might suggest you for a sleep apnea examination before giving you a night guard.
Night Guard Alternatives For Teeth Grinding
Night guards are not the only way to protect your teeth against grinding. Some of the very useful and convenient orthodontic appliances for teeth grinding are:
OCCLUSAL SPLINTS
- Not only protects the teeth from grinding but also corrects grinding by changing the jaw position and teeth alignment
- Corrects underbite or an overbite and thus prevents teeth grinding
- Care instructions are similar to that for night guards.
BOTOX TREATMENT
- Used to correct teeth grinding due to tense jaw muscles
- Injection is given directly in the jaw muscle to help them relax and de-stress
BIOFEEDBACK TREATMENT
- Acts as a reminder when you clench your teeth at night and prevents you from repeating
- Slowly and steadily you get used to not grinding your teeth
- Natural way of preventing yourself from teeth grinding
What Is Teeth Grinding?
Bruxism or teeth grinding is a dental condition in which an individual grinds or clenches their teeth either knowingly while awake or unknowingly while asleep.
What Are The Possible Causes Of Teeth Grinding?
Teeth grinding may occur due to an underlying physical, psychological or genetic cause:
- Anxiety and other mood disorder
- Stress
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- High intake of caffeine
- Side effect of medications like antidepressants (medicine to treat depression symptoms)
- Family history of teeth grinding
- Young age
- Underlying diseases such as Parkinson’s in older individuals, or epilepsy, or hyperactivity disorder in children.
- Underlying dental conditions like misalignment of teeth
How To Know That You Grind Your Teeth?
There are certain signs and symptoms that may reveal your teeth grinding problem:
- Dull Headache in temple area and sore jaw upon waking up in the morning
- Loud teeth grinding sound may help your parents or partner know about your teeth grinding problem
- Chipped off or abraded teeth
- Tooth pain and sensitivity without any cavities visible
- Abraded enamel
Braces: Do They Help With Teeth Grinding?
Yes, braces do help with teeth grinding if it occurs due to misaligned or crooked teeth.
Braces may help realign the teeth and correct the bite to give relief or completely eliminate the problem of teeth grinding.
A 2016 study concluded that orthodontic treatment with orthodontic appliances is significantly beneficial in treating cases of sleep bruxism (teeth grinding at night while asleep).
A 2019 review article concluded that early orthodontic examination (mostly at the age of 7 years) and intervention may help with teeth grinding associated with any orthodontic cause.
How Do Braces Help With Teeth Grinding?
Braces are dental tools that help align your misaligned teeth. The misalignment may be presented as your teeth protruding too much to the outside or sloping inwards too much or crowded at one place.
Misalignment may make your smile look unaesthetic and also result in poor dental hygiene as misaligned teeth are difficult to clean with a higher risk of plaque deposition.
Braces may help realign the teeth and correct the bite to give relief or completely eliminate the problem of teeth grinding.
Braces actually make your teeth straighter or more aligned by applying pressure on them in a particular desired direction.
The pressure allows teeth to become loose and reposition themselves according to the direction of force.
Your orthodontist may call you once in a month for follow-up and check if the braces are applying enough pressure for necessary orthodontic movement.
Your Orthodontist may also tighten the wires or rubber bands to increase the amount of pressure applied to a required level for achieving a desired movement.
In some cases, headgears may be recommended to you for increased pressure along with braces.
Conclusion
This blog post addressed the topic,”best retainer for teeth grinding”. We understood if wearing a retainer can help with teeth grinding, do retainers work as night guards, should you wear a night guard if you grind your teeth, night guard alternatives for teeth grinding, are retainers any good if used as a night guard, what is teeth grinding, possible causes of teeth grinding, how to know that you grind your teeth, do braces help with teeth grinding and how do braces help with teeth grinding.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs): Best Retainer For Teeth Grinding
Can teeth heal from grinding?
Yes, teeth can heal from grinding. In many children, grinding or clenching of teeth is not that severe or continuous and thus doesn’t require any treatment.
In some where grinding is continuous and severe, proper treatment may be required to treat the teeth grinding.
Treatment may involve basic orthodontic appliance therapy if the underlying cause is misalignment or it may involve psychological therapy if teeth grinding is due to stress and anxiety related disorders.
What deficiency causes teeth grinding?
Deficiency of vitamins, calcium and magnesium may be a secondary cause of teeth grinding.
How do I stop grinding my teeth naturally?
To stop teeth grinding you must:
- Exercise daily at least for 30 minutes
- Yoga can help de-stress and give relief from stress induced teeth grinding
- Stop too much intake of caffeine
- Visit your dentist and get yourself a mouthguard for night
Is a top or bottom night guard better?
Bottom night guard is preferred by most dentists because of their comfort and ease of use. However, depending upon the individual, a better night guard is the one that suits you the best.
How long do night guards last?
Night guards may last anywhere between a year to five years depending upon the severity of teeth grinding.
Why do my teeth hurt with the night guard?
Your teeth hurt after wearing your night guard because it might not be fitted properly and may be too large or too small for your mouth.
If you face such issues with your night guard, consult your dentist immediately.
References:
The Best Mouthguard for Teeth Grinding
Retainer vs Night Guard for Teeth Grinding
What’s The Difference Between A Retainer And A Night Guard?
Bruxism (teeth grinding) – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
Teeth Grinding (Bruxism): Causes and Treatments – WebMD
Dental Braces and Retainers – WebMD