Waking Up With Headaches? You Might Need a Night Guard

Waking up with a headache is not a great way to start your day. While your head pain may come from sinus problems, the inability to sleep, or a little too much to drink the night before, it may be something else. If a chronic issue with teeth grinding (also called bruxism) is causing your problems, we can create a night guard to protect your teeth and prevent your morning headaches. 

At Airport Dental Care in Austin, Texas, we specialize in dental appliances called night guards that can prevent damage to your teeth caused by teeth grinding or clenching. Brian LaBombard, DMD custom fits the appliance for you, not only to protect your dental health, but to help you sleep better and wake up headache-free. 

Bruxism: the dangers and damage

If you grind or clench your teeth at night, you may not even realize the damage that’s being done until it’s too late. In addition to headaches, our patients experience many other serious effects of bruxism, including: 

• Loose teeth 
• Cracked, chipped, and broken teeth
• Gum recession and damage
• Tooth sensitivity
• Facial muscle pain
• Jaw pain and TMJ (temporomandibular joint syndrome)

If you grind or clench your teeth at night for a long time before getting treatment, the damage to your teeth can be extensive. You may even to replace damaged teeth with options like bridges, dentures, or implants. 

Our goal at Airport Dental Care is to prevent these kinds of damage to your teeth, gums, and facial structures. Regular dental visits and checkups allow us to keep close tabs on what’s going on. And if you have any concerns between visits, don’t hesitate to call us. We’ll address the issues that might be causing your bruxism.

Causes of bruxism

Lots of things can contribute to teeth grinding or clenching. Stress, anxiety, or even nightmares may be contributing factors. Sometimes there are physical or dental causes, such as:

• An abnormal bite
• Changes in bite due to teeth shifting or dental work
• Crooked teeth
• Trauma to the mouth or jaw
• Sleep apnea

Getting a night guard

When you come in to see us, we’ll ask about your habits and help you correct any issues you may be having that contribute to your bruxism. Dr. LaBombard gets the ball rolling to create a night guard that fits you perfectly and stabilizes your lower jaw to keep it in the correct, natural position as you sleep. 

The night guard protects your teeth, prevents morning headaches and pain in your face and jaw, and even helps with snoring and sleep apnea, if those are issues for you.

A good night’s sleep is essential to your overall health, and a night guard can protect your mouth from the dangers of grinding your teeth while you’re getting those Zzzs. Let us help you eliminate your morning headaches with a custom-fitted night guard. To make an appointment, call our office or use the handy online booking feature right here.