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Question:
Retainer versus Mouth Guard: I was provided a metal and plastic removable retainer seven years ago, by an orthodontist.
He said I grind and wear down my teeth (he did a veneer on the back of my front teeth). I was told I should have worn braces but my dentist at the time had not prescribed this.
I moved to another country recently, and my dentist (who is not an orthodontist) suggested I stop using the retainer and use a mouth guard instead. This was two months ago, and I have since noticed wear on the back of my front teeth - again.
The dentist insists that all I need is a thicker mouth guard. I know you cannot check my teeth but what is your opinion? ... Visitor from Dubai United Arab Emirates
Answer:
I feel your current dentist is correct in that a well fitting anti-bruxism mouth gaurd would be better than the old orthodontiic retainer.
An anti-grinding mouth guard can be made of hard plastic acrylic material or a soft material (the kind used in dental teeth whitening trays.) In my opinion the soft material mouth gaurd is more comfortable to wear than the hard kind.
However, for severe bruxism - grinding, a hard plastic mouth gaurd is best. This is due to the heavy grinding forces applied to the teeth with severe bruxism. These folks will tear right through a soft night gaurd. Bruxism appliances are usually worn at night because a person may not know they grind there teeth at night.
We sometimes double up the soft night gaurd material to create a "thicker" protective mouth guard for our heavy bruxism patients.
ComfortableDental.com
Ron Briglia, DMD
Chester County Medical Building
600 East Marshall Street, Suite 201
West Chester PA 19380
(610) 692-4440
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