Cleaning Your Night Guard

If you grind your teeth, you’re most likely familiar with night guards. Prescribed to protect your teeth from the damage that results from teeth grinding or bruxism. With three locations in Phoenix, AZ, Kidz Connextion offers expert care for teeth grinding, including night guard care. Here are a few tips and tricks for night guard hygiene.

Night guards are usually made from acrylic or hard plastic. Since these mouthguards are meant to be worn for long periods of time, it’s important to sanitize them properly. Dirty night guards are home to breeding grounds for dangerous bacteria that wreak havoc on your oral health.

The best way to wash your night guard is under lukewarm water and mild soap. Since night guards are removable, they’re easier to clean. However, the interior surfaces of the acrylic appliance are harder to disinfect. Use a toothbrush or cotton swab to gently scrub the inside of the night guard.  

Your Phoenix, AZ dentists advise sanitizing night guards soon as you remove them. When dry, bacteria and debris are harder to unclog on the surface of retainers.

In general, night guards need to be handled gently to preserve for long-term use. This means staying away from any harsh cleaners and rough scrubbing. 

If you want a deeper clean for your night guard or notice bacteria stuck on the surface, bring your device to Kidz Connextion for special cleaning.

Kidz Connextion has three convenient locations in Phoenix, Arizona. To schedule an appointment at 2533 N 75th St, text 623-232-0749. For our office at 2046 N 24th St, text 480-666-5984. For our office at 524 E Baseline Rd, text 480-405-4714. Or, visit Kidz Connextion on our website.

Stress and Jaw Pain

When people are under increased stress, they are at greater risk of developing health conditions. That’s no less true for oral health, or for children and teenagers. People dealing with stress may grind their teeth in the night, putting themselves at risk for tooth aches and breaks. At Kidz Connextion in Phoenix, we want our patients to be able to avoid this, which is why we’re discussing TMJ and night guards.

 

The temporomandibular joints (TMJ) are the two joints that link our lower jaw to our skulls. They are powerful and able to move in every direction, making them among the most complex joints in the body. Sometimes, the joints become swollen, such as when a child suffers from a rheumatic condition, and sometimes people grind their teeth in the night because they suffer from sleep apnea and are unconsciously trying to clear their airways. But usually when children and teenagers have swollen temporomandibular joints, it is because they are clenching their teeth at night or grinding them, which is a habit called bruxism. The grinding may crack their enamel or damage their orthodontics, and the swollen joints may spread pain down their necks or to their heads.

 

Although psychological counseling may be necessary to relieve stress, we can assist with protecting a teenager’s teeth. A night guard is a customized oral appliance that is worn at night and shields the teeth from pressing into each other. It also repositions the jaw to allow a person to rest more comfortably. Dentists can also teach stretching exercises that will loosen the jaw muscles, putting less pressure on the temporomandibular joints and helping patients to remember to avoid clenching their teeth in the day.

 

Kidz Connextion has three convenient locations in Phoenix, Arizona. To schedule an appointment at 2533 N 75th St, text 623-232-0749. For our office at 2046 N 24th St, text 480-666-5984. For our office at 524 E Baseline Rd, text 480-405-4714. Or, visit Kidz Connextion on our website.