Does mouth guard cause abnormal bite after waking up?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have bruxism and TMJ, and I just started using a mouth guard that I got from my dentist. I am concerned because when I wake up in the morning, I feel that my bite is different. My back teeth do not touch. However, after 1 or 2 hours my bite goes back to normal. Is this normal?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Do you wear your nightguard properly at night? If yes, then it is normal that you feel the gap between teeth. As it is the prime function of giving you nightguard that it does not let your teeth overlap firmly and deeply. This tray does not allow teeth of both arches to meet another and creates a gap of about 0.5 mm to 1 mm while you are wearing it. When you keep wearing it for a long time like 4 or 6 months it eventually creates this 0.5 mm gap in your TMJ that is the real achievement, now even when you do not wear the tray your teeth will not overlap deeply and will maintain some space in between. That is a good sign. Stay happy and blessed. Take care.