When you\u2019re among the top players in your field, you need every advantage to help you stay competitive: Not just the best equipment, but anything else that relieves pain and stress, and allows you to play better. For top-seeded Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic, that extra help came in a somewhat unexpected form: a custom made mouthguard that he wears on the court and off. \u201c[It helps] to not grind my teeth while I play,\u201d said the 25-year-old up-and-coming ace. \u201cIt just causes stress and headaches sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mouthguards are often worn by athletes engaged in sports that carry the risk of dental injury \u2014 such as basketball, football, hockey, and some two dozen others; wearing one is a great way to keep your teeth from being seriously injured. But Raonic\u2019s mouthguard isn\u2019t primarily for safety; it\u2019s actually designed to help him solve the problem of teeth grinding, or bruxism. This habitual behavior causes him to unconsciously tense up his jaw, potentially leading to problems with muscles and teeth.<\/p>\n
Bruxism is a common issue that\u2019s often caused or aggravated by stress. You don\u2019t have to be a world-class athlete to suffer from this condition: Everyday anxieties can have the same effect. The behavior is often worsened when you consume stimulating substances, such as alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and other drugs.<\/p>\n
While bruxism affects thousands of people, some don\u2019t even suspect they have it. That\u2019s because it may occur at any time \u2014 even while you\u2019re asleep! The powerful jaw muscles that clench and grind teeth together can wear down tooth enamel, and damage both natural teeth and dental work. They can even cause loose teeth! What\u2019s more, a clenching and grinding habit can result in pain, headaches and muscle soreness\u2026 which can really put you off your game.<\/p>\n
There are several ways to relieve the problem of bruxism. Stress reduction is one approach that works in some cases. When it\u2019s not enough, a custom made occlusal guard (also called a night guard or mouthguard) provided by our office can make a big difference. \u201cWhen I don\u2019t sleep with it for a night,\u201d Raonic said \u201cI can feel my jaw muscles just tense up the next day. I don\u2019t sense myself grinding but I can sort of feel that difference the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00c2 An occlusal guard is made from an exact model of your own mouth. It helps to keep your teeth in better alignment and prevent them from coming into contact, so they can\u2019t damage each other. It also protects your jaw joints from being stressed by excessive force. Plus, it\u2019s secure and comfortable to wear. \u201cI wear it all the time other than when I\u2019m eating, so I got used to it pretty quickly,\u201d said Raonic.<\/p>\n
Teeth grinding can be a big problem \u2014 whether you put on your game face on the court\u2026 or at home. If you would like more information about bruxism, contact us<\/a> or schedule an appointment<\/a> for a consultation. You can learn more in the Dear Doctor<\/em> magazine articles \u201cStress & Tooth Habits<\/a>\u201d and \u201cWhen Children Grind Their Teeth<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When you\u2019re among the top players in your field, you need every advantage to help you stay competitive: Not just the best equipment, but anything else that relieves pain and stress, and allows you to play better. For top-seeded Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic, that extra help came in a somewhat unexpected form: a custom … Continue Reading »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":624,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[2,35],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":625,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217\/revisions\/625"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/demo.dpswebservices.com\/mangrovebaydentistry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}