Special Services

At Berardi Dentistry we are trained to provide a variety of special services that will improve your lifestyle and oral health. In our health conscious society more people are participating in sporting activities. We have more stress in our lives than ever before. Read below to see how Berardi Dentistry can help the athlete in your family as well as the stressed out ‘tiger mom’.

Athletic Mouth guards

It is important for athletes who participate in any contact sport to wear a fitted mouth guard. Mouth guards not only protect you teeth from chipping during contact but also protect an athlete from suffering a concussion. A concussion can occur when the lower jaw is forced into the upper jaw. The athletic mouth guard can absorb and dissipate these forces thus lowering the risk of concussion. This is important when playing high impact sports like football and hockey.

An athletic mouth guard must fit properly and be resilient. It should not tear and should be easy to wear. Stock mouth guards that are bought at the store may sufficiently work to protect athletes but do require some work from the parent or athlete. In order to assure that a mouth guard fits comfortably and is precise, we can make a custom fitted mouth guard. This process is quite easy and involves taking an impression of one’s teeth. The mouth guard material is then custom fit to the impression and trimmed and polished. There is no longer the need to boil water. Please contact us to make your custom fitted athletic mouth guard.

TMJ Therapy and Nightguards

You may need to be fitted for a nightguard if you have any of the following:

• You have been told by your sleeping partner that you grind your teeth while sleeping.
• You awaken with muscle soreness in your jaw.
• You have pain when opening and closing your mouth.
• You have headaches/muscle pain from your temples and back of your neck.
• You have pain extending from your TMJ (temporomandibular joint).
• You notice your teeth are wearing down and may becoming sensitive.

These problems are caused by clenching or grinding you teeth. This behavior usually occurs at nighttime while we are sleeping. The habit of grinding, or bruxism, can lead to severe discomfort and constant pain. Our stressful lifestyles are the cause of these habits. While we sleep, we internalize many of our problems and reveal them physically by clenching or grinding our teeth. Many people suffer from this practice and often find themselves clenching their teeth while they are awake.

If you believe that you suffer from any of these harmful habits, please contact us for a consultation. We can help by having a custom-fit nightguard, or occlusal appliance, made for you. This appliance is worn primarily while asleep and is made from hard acrylic. When placed over your teeth this appliance helps keep your lower and upper jaws comfortably apart, usually about 3-4mm. This opening helps to relax your muscles attached to the jaws and when clenching or grinding the hard acrylic absorbs the force, not our teeth. The result is a reduction in jaw pain and a more restful sleep improving your quality of life!