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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Can a dental guard prevent my wisdom tooth causing holes and ulcers?

    Related Topic
    Oral Health
    I have had my wisdom teeth for about 5 or 6 years and never had any trouble with them. Tho the last year i have been getting a hole like a canker sore right were my wisdom tooth is and i noticed that the wisdom tooth sticks out and tends to rub against the cheek. However i rarely get this, maybe a few times in the last year, and i do not wish to have my wisdom tooth removed. I also bite down hard with my teeth at nights and strain my jaw. I am wondering would a dental guard prevent the tooth from rubbing my cheek and also prevent the biting down. I cant afford a guard from the dentist, but there is one on amazon that sends you a mould kit, which you complete and send back to them and they make you a guard to fit you. And it is relatively cheap. I am considering this, will it help? Any other information would be great! Thank you
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    Dr Roland Chong

    Dentist

    The use of a night splint or night guard will help with preventing your teeth from chipping and breaking if you tend to rub them together at night. If the splint will extend all the way to the wisdom teeth you may find it helps prevent the offending teeth rubbing against the cheek.

    However before you  purchase this splint from Amazon you need to consider some important factors carefully:

    1)  The ‘canker sore’ you describe needs to be examined by a dentist. Especially if it has been there for awhile ( more than a month) and it has not been sore. You need to be sure it is not anything sinister like oral cancer.

    2) If the ulcer is present as a result of you chewing on your cheek then this trauma will persist during the times you are eating. The splint will only help during the night while you are asleep.

    3) The wisdom teeth may be impacted (cramped into position) and there may not be sufficient room for them to emerge properly, in which case you may not be able to clean these teeth. This can compormise this tooth and the one in front and these teeth may decay or the gums may become inflammed and the underlying bone might begin to break down as a result of the chronic inflammation.

    4) A night guard or splint when worn for a long time can cause changes to the position of the teeth and your bite. Especially one which is not fitted well. The biting surface of your guard must be in contact with most, if not all, of your teeth on the opposing arch. Otherwise pain and bite changes after wearing the splint can arise.

    The choice to self manage the oral problem is yours. But I would strongly suggest you visit a dentist and discuss these issues with them before you consider using a self made night guard/splint.

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    Dr Michael Leong

    Dentist

    Welcome to Just Dental Care. “We do CARE”. We provide quality care and affordable dentistry to you and your family. We provide a comprehensive range … View Profile

    Can a dental guard prevent my wisdom tooth causing holes and ulcers?

    First we need to address the sore around the wisdom tooth and your cheek biting issue. Is your wisdom tooth partially erupted or fully out? Although you may be getting this once in a blue moon, it tells me that you may be getting in dental terms what we call pericoronitis, a condition whereby the tissue around a partially erupted wisdom tooth has swollen up due to infection, causing you to bite on the tissue.  If this is the case then you may well get another episode of pericoronitis especially around stressful periods of your life or if the wisdom tooth gets food impacted in and around the gum. Ideally in the long term, the wisdom tooth should be removed, but if you don't want it removed then we could try reducing the cusps down so that you don't bite on your cheek tissues. End of the day,  why do you need to put up with the pain and discomfort, if you know there is another way. Ask your dentist to help you get an OPG of your wisdom tooth. It may not cost much to remove and it may be a straight forward extraction.

    With regards to a night guard, they are good to prevent chipping of teeth and minimise headaches .
    There are 2 night guards available. One is a full arch splint, the other is called an NTI splint which fits over your top teeth from canine to canine.
    I believe it is better to get a dentist made splint as the impression taken will be potentially better than one taken by yourself. Also we take an impression of both arches as well as a bite registration, so we know how your teeth meet so that we can take this into account when we make the splint. A poorly made splint which will be a result of a poorly made impression may do more bad than good.

    If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. 07 38633604

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    Dr Kevin Jaffar

    Dentist

    Jaffar Dental - Trusted and Established since 1997. We are a family owned General Dental Practice offering a friendly and caring environment in Waterford QLD. … View Profile

    Not really unless there is an obvious grinding problem causing lateral movements of the jaw.

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