I'm curious now.
I've been using a night guard for a few years now, and from my experience, they're mostly meant for comfort and protecting your teeth from damage due to grinding. My dentist explained it doesn't really straighten teeth or fix alignment issues directly, but it can help prevent things from getting worse if grinding or clenching is pushing teeth out of position. Honestly, it's been a lifesaver for me—I used to wake up with headaches and jaw soreness all the time, and that's almost completely gone now.
I've been thinking about getting a night guard too, but I'm wondering... does it feel really bulky or awkward at first? I'm kind of anxious about sleeping with something in my mouth—worried I'd choke or something silly like that, lol. Also, did your dentist say if it helps with jaw clicking or popping? Mine does that sometimes and it's honestly driving me nuts. Glad it's helped with your headaches though, that sounds amazing.
I totally get your anxiety about sleeping with something new in your mouth—it felt pretty strange for me at first too. Honestly though, after a couple of nights, I barely noticed it anymore. As for choking, I had the exact same worry (lol), but the guard fits snugly enough that it's never been an issue. My dentist mentioned it can help reduce jaw clicking because it prevents you from clenching and grinding at night. Have you noticed if your jaw clicking gets worse when you're stressed or tired? Mine definitely does...
I had similar concerns initially—especially the choking thing, haha. Took me about a week to adjust fully, but after that, it felt pretty natural. Interestingly, my jaw clicking improved noticeably once I stopped clenching at night...stress definitely makes mine worse too.
Same here, took me a bit longer though—maybe two weeks? But yeah, once I got used to it, my jaw tension eased up noticeably. Didn't even realize how much stress was affecting my teeth until then...
