Night guards are often recommended for children if they suffer from tooth grinding. A night guard helps to relax your child's jaw muscles and keeps their teeth from coming in contact with each other while the child sleeps. The night guard will move your child's jaw into a more relaxing and comfortable position with consistent use. Since a night guard needs to be worn during the night, it is susceptible to developing bacteria buildup if it is not cleaned properly. Bacteria accumulation will end up hurting your child's teeth instead of helping them. Fortunately, there are a few tips that you can use to make sure that your child's night guard remains clean.
Clean Your Child's Night Guard After They Eat
If your child often indulges in evening snacks and desserts, then it is expected that food will build up underneath the night guard. This should not be a problem as long as the food is removed immediately before the child goes to bed. Leaving the food on overnight can result in tooth cavities. Therefore, after your child finishes eating, instruct them to use their toothbrush and toothpaste to clean around their night guard. They can clean the night guard in the same way that they would clean their own natural teeth. Help them use warm water to get rid of an additional debris that may be lurking around the dental appliance.
Soak Your Child's Night Guard in an Antibacterial Soak Every Few Weeks
Your child's night guard can quickly become home to a number of bacteria that are difficult to remove with just a toothbrush. In order to properly remove this bacteria, you should soak your child's night guard in an antibacterial solution every few weeks. You can use a dental cleanser that you can easily get from your dentist, or you can go to the store and pick up a normal antibacterial rinse. The night guard should be soaked for a few hours during the day when your child is not using the dental device. This will ensure that all of the bacteria has been removed. Once the guard is done soaking, rinse the night guard with water and allow it to properly dry before use.
Night guards are some of the easiest dental appliances to use in order to fix jaw issues or something like tooth grinding. However, they only work well if they remain clean and in good condition. Therefore, use these tips to help your child maintain and clean their night guard.
Talk to a professional such as Kids First Pediatric Dentistry for more tips.
Share30 September 2016
My son was outside playing with some friends when he accidentally fell down and hit his mouth on the sidewalk. The fall knocked out his front tooth, so I immediately placed the tooth in a small jar and added some milk. I rushed my son to the dental clinic and the dentist immediately took us into the examination room. The dentist placed the tooth back into the socket and saved it. My name is Beverly Tillman and thanks to the quick work of the dentist, my son didn't lose his tooth. Since this was a scary time for me and my son, I wanted to write this blog as a source of information for other parents who are facing a dental emergency. First of all, don't panic and get to your dentist as soon as possible. I hope this blog will help to answer your questions about dental emergencies.