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Is Bruxism Hurting Your Smile? A Custom Guard Can Help

Over time, your nightly teeth grinding troubles can start to make visible changes to your smile. Wear and tear can flatten teeth, or even damage them, which can hurt the quality of your appearance. If you want to do something to restore your confidence in the way you look, you may need to discuss cosmetic dental work with your dentist. Of course, if you want to prevent the problem from growing worse, or from causing visible changes, you should seek help with your grinding or clenching habit. At our Seattle, WA dentist’s office, we can provide you with a custom appliance to help you avoid this problem, often referred to as bruxism. In cases where patients have already seen changes to their smile, we can discuss cosmetic improvements as well.

Reasons To Address Nightly Teeth Grinding With Your Dentist

If you are grinding or clenching your teeth at night, you can feel the effects of this habit in the morning. Dental soreness and sensitivity, stiff or painful jaw movement, and facial soreness can all stem from nightly grinding. If you do not act in time, the problem can grow more serious. You can wind up with a smile that looks unhealthy or out of balance because certain teeth have become visibly worn. You can also face the risk that a tooth will become chipped or cracked, which can require restorative dental work.

Wearing Your Custom Appliance

When we provide patients with a bruxism appliance, we ensure that they have a comfortable, custom fit. A personalized appliance can feel more comfortable, and you can have an easier time making sure that it stays in place while you sleep. In addition from keeping your teeth apart at night, the appliance’s ability to stop you from grinding can reduce stress on your jaw joints.

We Can Evaluate Your Smile, And Address Dental Damage

If you have struggled with teeth grinding in the past, we can take a look at your teeth to determine how we might be able to restore your smile. Porcelain veneers can restore the shapes and sizes of teeth that have become worn down, or we can restore the appearance of damaged teeth via tooth bonding and contouring work. If we identify any teeth that are in particularly poor condition, it can be more appropriate to restore it with a dental crown.

Talk To Ballard Neighborhood Dentist About Bruxism

At Ballard Neighborhood Dentist in Seattle, WA, patients who are struggling with bruxism can come to us for support. We can make sure your teeth are no longer experiencing damage from grinding and clenching by providing you with a custom guard. We can also work on improving your smile by restoring teeth in poor shape. For more information, please call our Seattle, WA dentist’s office at 206-789-2555.

Cosmetic, Restorative, and General Dentistry

It is our goal to provide comprehensive dental care for your whole family. Our wide range of services means that you can see us for all of your needs — without having to visit multiple practices to achieve the smile you’ve always wanted.