Night Guards

Many people grind or clench their teeth during sleep without even knowing it. This habit, known as bruxism, is incredibly common and can cause significant damage to your teeth over time if it goes unaddressed. At Creating Beautiful Smiles in Racine, WI, we create custom night guards that provide a protective cushion between your upper and lower teeth, helping to preserve your smile while you rest.

Bruxism can cause a range of problems including worn-down tooth enamel, cracked or chipped teeth, increased tooth sensitivity, jaw soreness, headaches, and disrupted sleep. Because grinding often happens while you are unconscious, many patients are unaware of the issue until their dentist notices the telltale signs during a routine exam, or until symptoms like jaw pain and morning headaches become impossible to ignore.

A custom night guard from Creating Beautiful Smiles is fabricated from durable, high-quality materials and designed to fit your mouth precisely. Unlike one-size-fits-all guards from a pharmacy, a custom appliance provides a far more comfortable and effective fit. It absorbs and redistributes the forces of grinding and clenching, protecting your enamel, restorations, and jaw joints from the damage that bruxism can cause over time.

Getting a custom night guard at Creating Beautiful Smiles is a simple, two-appointment process. At your first visit, your provider will evaluate your teeth for signs of wear and take impressions or digital scans to capture the precise contours of your mouth. These records are sent to a dental lab where your custom appliance is carefully crafted to fit you perfectly.

At your second appointment, we will seat the night guard and make any adjustments needed to ensure it fits comfortably and functions as it should. We will also walk you through how to wear, clean, and store your appliance to keep it in great condition for years to come.

Many patients notice a significant reduction in jaw soreness and morning headaches within just a few nights of wearing their night guard consistently. While the appliance does not stop the grinding habit itself, it effectively protects your teeth and helps relieve the muscular tension that bruxism creates. If you have been waking up with a sore jaw or suspect you might be grinding, we encourage you to bring it up at your next appointment so we can take a closer look.