Mouth guards both serve the same purpose of protecting the teeth from injury when the jaw bites down, clenches or grinds uncontrollably at night, or unpredictably during a sporting event. A mouth guard or night guard is a plastic protective covering that is generally worn over the top teeth, either at night or during a sporting event. A mouthguard from Dr. Ross is custom made by our trusted laboratory that ensures the design protects you from all the different potentially destructive biting scenarios.

If you grind or clench your teeth at night, a special type of dental appliance, called a nocturnal bite plate or dental night guard, may be created to help prevent tooth damage and gum recession. There are several different types of night guards. The type that is best for you will be determined by Dr. Andrew Ross. Sometimes, night time grinding is due to other systemic problems, such as sleep apnea for example, and a night guard is not indicated. In this example, the goal would be to treat the sleep apnea, which in turn should stop the uncontrolled night time grinding.

An effective dental guard should be comfortable, resist tears, durable, easy to clean, should not restrict your breathing, and have minimal to no interference of your speech. It should be cleaned daily and checked by our office every six months to ensure it fits and functions properly.