Night
Guards (TMJ Splints)
Have you
ever awakened in the morning with a headache or neck ache?
Have
you found that your chewing muscles are sore or tender during
the day or at night?
Do you find that you have a limitation of
mouth opening?
If your answer is yes to any of these questions, you may be
experiencing a temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ
Dysfunction). The TMJ, located just in front of the ear, is the
joint where the upper and lower jaws articulate. If a person's
occlusion (bite) is not stable, he or she may start a bruxing
(grinding) habit during sleep causing muscle spasms and pain. A
hard acrylic night guard/TMJ splint may help alleviate these
symptoms. The patient wears this splint at night or during
times of stress.
