Dr. Padolsky has offered bite guard treatment to hundreds and hundreds of patients and it works. It's a dental appliance made to protect teeth, to decrease the harmful effect of tooth grinding, and to relax the jaw muscles for TMJ patients. The 0.150 inch soft plastic material on the lower jaw works best. This soft material provides an even thickness of plastic that fits excellently on to a model of the patient's lower teeth.
It is important to make the bite guard properly. If it does not fit tightly, it can be removed and thrown across the room while the patient sleeps. The material is thermoplastic; it gets soft when heated and hardens when it cools. If the material is allowed to cool at room temperature on the model for several hours, the material shrinks tightly and gives an excellent fit.
The bite guard must be worn correctly. If you only wear a cast at night for a broken leg, the break won't heal. The appliance pulls the jaw joints down and forward away from the patient's ear. Most patients want to position their jaws forward and the bite guard does this without having to ask the muscles to do so. If you only wear the mouth guard at night, it won't work. The jaw joints are part of a human body and it doesn't make sense to think that this dental appliance is the only thing needed to stop tooth grinding or cure a TMJ problem. We also place all patients who get a soft guard on an extensive six week program.
When not being worn, a bite guard should always be placed in a retainer box or house pets will chew it up because it smells like food. Athletic guards, like the ones you can get at Sports Authority, do not work well because they are too thick, unevenly constructed, attach to both jaws and have lots of sharp edges. However, I will recommend it for an emergency when a patient can not get into the office or is out of town. If you are thinking about having TMJ therapy and would like to consult with Atlanta TMJ Dentist, Dr. Mark Allan Padolsky, please make your appointment by calling 404-874-7428.