We have provided soft mouth guard therapy to hundreds and hundreds of patients and it works. A soft mouth guard is a dental appliance that is constructed to protect your teeth, to decrease the destructive effect of tooth grinding, and to relax the jaw muscles in TMJ patients. The 0.150 inch soft plastic material on the lower teeth works best. It provides the soft mouth guard with an even thickness of soft plastic and adapts excellently to a dental model of the patient's lower teeth.

          It is important to construct the lower soft mouth guard properly. If the soft mouth guard is not constructed tightly, it can be removed and thrown across the room while a patient sleeps. The material is thermoplastic, meaning that it gets soft when heated and hardens as it cools. If the material is allowed to cool at room temperature on the model for several hours, the soft mouth guard shrinks tightly and gives an excellent fit.

          The soft mouth guard must be worn correctly. If you only wear a cast at night for a broken leg, the break won't heal. The soft mouth guard pulls the jaw joints down and forward away from the patient's ear. Most patients want to position their jaws forward and the soft mouth guard does this without having to ask the muscles to do so. If you only wear a soft 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 the soft mouth guard is the only thing needed to stop tooth grinding or cure a TMJ problem. We also place all patients who get a soft mouth guard on an extensive six week program.

          When not being worn, a soft mouth 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 considering getting a mouth guard and would like to consult with Dr. Padolsky, please make your appointment by calling 404-874-7428.