Have you ever woken up in the morning feeling a toothache? There is no cavity in view, but the sharp pain is definitely there. With this painful setting in the morning, you would rather sleep again. Besides, the discomfort does not stop getting into your nerves. Even eating food turns into headache and stress. Having a toothache is a burden on its own, and not knowing the cause could be a total disaster. After all, only by addressing the cause can you prevent further oral distress. Hence, you might want to ensure that you get to book your annual check-up to remedy toothaches early. With these symptoms at hand, health professionals will recommend treatments. And most likely, it would include a mouth splint. But before you nod cheerfully at the idea, you might want to know more about this dental device.
What Is A Mouth Splint?
Teeth splints, also called bite splints, bite planes, or dental splints, are designed to fit between the upper 
and lower teeth. This plastic removable appliance serves multiple purposes. It can either be a night guard or an occlusal splint. These oral guards have custom-made fit by the dentist. The dental splints primarily reduce pressure on the jaw muscles and protect teeth from wear and breakage. Hence, it is important to source your teeth splint from a certified dentist. Without a suitable measure of the device, it might not tackle your dental problems.
On your first visit, the dentist would examine the suitability and aptness of a mouth guard for your condition. Considering the position of your jaws, the professional would determine the size and shape of the dental splints. Next, a technician will work on the occlusal guard’s shape that will best fit your teeth. The fitting of the splint would often occur on the subsequent appointment. The dentist would also make little adjustments on the guards to ensure a comfortable fitting. The dentist would check the grind, bite, occlusion, and closing of your mouth while wearing the splint. After care instructions are also given together with the splints.
Who Needs A Mouth Guard?
The splint is a common treatment for different health and dental problems. This mouth guard does not only prevent destruction and chipping of the tooth. It also prevents incurring damage to the surrounding tissues. Most disorders or situations that warrant a splint to be worn includes:
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Problems
These mandibular joints are located in front of the ear. Although it is not the case for everyone, some 
people have misaligned TMJ. Among the other issues associated with this disorder are headaches, neck pain, and clicking jaw. By wearing the custom night guards, you can provide long term treatment to this condition. This problem also arises from different causes, including missing teeth, grinding or clenching teeth, injury, and even improper posture.
Grinding or Bruxism
This most common sleep condition needs immediate intervention. Without the proper measures, it could end in tooth damage and loss. There are types of occlusal devices that act as night splints to prevent the person from doing teeth attrition during sleep. Bruxism of nocturnal teeth grinding has multiple causes but usually results in the wearing of teeth over time. Dentists would often recommend wearing a mouth guard when sleeping to ease tension and stabilize the jaw.
Periodontal disease
Wearing an upper bite splint would help a person with past and current periodontal disease. The splint would prevent the drifting and formation of gaps between the teeth.
Pain and dysfunction associated with bites
Full mouth reconstruction patient
Mouth Guards And All Things Considered
Toothaches sometimes have deeper issues other than tooth decay and plaque buildup. With conditions without direct solutions, like TMJ and bruxisms, treatment can be hard. But with the use of a dental splint, you could provide a full and successful therapy for these conditions. With the effects of dental splints, you could even prevent future dental dilemmas.
