TMJ & Night Guards in Rancho Bernardo
and San Marcos, California

Dr. Nelson Y. Howard's TMJ & Night Guards can
alleviate your nighttime discomfort!

Have you ever woken up after a full night’s sleep and felt like you haven’t rested at all? Many people go through their entire lives feeling as if this is normal, but most don’t realize that day-to-day stress can take its toll on your body while you’re asleep. Grinding your teeth while you slumber, also known as bruxism, can cause wear and tear on your mouth. At the
Center for Advanced Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry, Dr. Howard can examine you for your condition, and even provide Night Guard or mouthguard options for you today!

A temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, is located on either side of your face. They’re the joints which hinge your lower jaw to your skull. The TMJ is extremely powerful, but also rather delicate, and unfortunately takes the brunt of the damage created during nighttime grinding. Stress is typically the cause of a temporomandibular disorder, and it can be very hard to control. While sleeping, your brain sends an unintentional message to your jaw, telling it to clench or even grind. When this happens frequently, you’ll begin to wear away the surface of your teeth. You could even begin to affect the function of your jaw if the tension is serious enough. At the Center for Advanced Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry, Dr. Howard can evaluate you for a potential grinding problem and can offer you a variety of different
Night Guards to help resolve your grinding condition.

There are many signs that can alert you to your
unintentional nighttime habit, including:

• Popping or clicking of the jaw while eating, yawning, or talking.
• Lockjaw, or stiffness in the jaw.
• Alignment changes in the way you bite.
• Constant earaches.
• Tension in your shoulders.
• Tooth pain.
• Persistent migraines.

We have a solution for you!

Our office recommends a night guard to help minimize damage. This device essentially stops patients from grinding their teeth. There are many different types of night guards used in dentistry today. Dr. Howard has extensive knowledge and experience in determining which appliance is best for you and your specific dental condition. A night guard will relieve your jaw pain and save you from the damage that occurs while you sleep. Please call or come by the Center for Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry at either location in  Rancho Bernardo or
San Marcos, and we can fit you for a custom night guard.

Dr. Nelson Y. Howard examines TMJ patients at both the Rancho Bernardo and San Marcos locations. Contact our office to schedule your appointment today. The longer you wait to receive TMJ therapy, the more damage will occur. We can also fit you for an athletic mouthguard to help protect your teeth from sports-related trauma. Click here for a full list of services provided by the Center for Advanced Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry.