Work with our Family Dentist in Falls Church to Prevent Teeth Grinding
Many people struggle with grinding their teeth at night. This problem referred to as bruxism can be painful but is easily treated. Take some time to understand the causes of bruxism and learn about the ways you can alleviate the problem.
Everything You Need to Know About Bruxism
Most times, teeth grinding will be done during the nighttime hours. You may not even recognize that you do it. Your partner may be the first person to bring it to your attention. While it is not known what causes this behavior, there have been lots of studies about the possibilities. Some suggest that grinding can be caused by sleep patterns, the chemistry of the brain, genetics, drugs, alcohol or smoking.
Here are some symptoms you might be experiencing:
• Wearing of teeth
• Jaw muscle tenderness
• Head tenderness around the temple area
• Jaw muscle swelling
• Tongue indentation
• Pain during jaw movement
• Morning headaches
Bruxism can lead to bigger complications such as earaches, buzzing in the ears, sensitive teeth, cracked teeth and even tooth loss. Many times this damage can be permanent, so it is important to prevent the problem early.
Treating Bruxism
Stop using drugs, alcohol and tobacco. This has been linked as a possible cause and none of these are good for your oral health. Try quitting these habits and see if that doesn’t make a difference in the bruxism issues.
You can find over-the-counter mouth guards to wear. These aren’t always comfortable and may not be exactly what you need. For a better option, you can have your dentist fit your mouth for a nighttime guard. This will prevent you from being able to grind your teeth while you sleep.
Sometimes medications can be used on the nervous system as a way to stop the grinding movements. This is generally not a long-term solution and should be used after the mouth guard option has been tried first.
No matter what methods you choose to do, treating bruxism early is important. Prevention is better than having to live forever with the consequences of grinding your teeth. Discuss all the available options with your family dentist in Falls Church.
