Plain writing about teeth, from the people who look at them.
A night guard protects enamel. It does not answer the question, and the question is usually more interesting.
Most people who grind their teeth have no idea they do it. The evidence arrives second-hand: a partner's complaint, a headache that starts at the temples, or a dentist pointing at the flattened tip of a canine that should still come to a point.
The guard is the easy part. A hard acrylic splint, scanned and milled to fit, will absorb the load and save the enamel. It works, it is not expensive, and it will do its job for years. But it is a seatbelt, not a explanation.
What is worth asking is why the jaw is working at all. Sleep-disordered breathing accounts for a large share of it — the clench is the body reopening an airway. Stress accounts for another. A small number turn out to be a bite that does not meet cleanly, and those are the ones dentistry can actually fix.
So we fit the guard on the first visit, because enamel does not grow back and there is no reason to wait. Then we ask the other questions: how you sleep, how often you wake, whether anyone has mentioned snoring. Sometimes the answer sends you to a sleep clinic rather than back to us, and that is a good outcome.
What the evidence actually says, what it does not say, and why the dose is the whole conversation.
Three things to say beforehand, and one very common sentence that makes the whole visit harder.
Stains lift. Grey does not. Knowing which one you have before you pay is the difference between delight and disappointment.
Pick a time online, or call and we will find one around your day. New patients always get the longer first slot.
Smile Studio & Dental Care
Denxa is an independent dental practice in Seattle. We keep appointments long, prices written down and the same dentist with you from the first X-ray to the last polish.