Do you wake from sleep at night or experience sore jaws or teeth? It could happen because you were grinding your teeth while sleeping. In medical terms grinding of the teeth is referred as, bruxism. This problem of clenching jaws or grinding teeth can occur at any age. While teeth grinding takes place unconsciously while you’re fast asleep, but sometimes it also happens when you’re awake going about your daily routine. How do I know I grind my teeth and is there a solution?
Symptoms of Teeth grinding
Headaches are known to be a common symptom of teeth grinding. Some other symptoms related to this problem are stiffness on your shoulders and neck, enlargement of your facial muscles, joint discomfort, sleeping problems and ear pain. Apart from these symptoms, the frequent teeth grinding process also affects the mobility of your teeth and show abnormal wear on your teeth. In severe cases without proper treatment it can result in losing or fracturing teeth
What are the causes of teeth grinding?
Teeth grinding can start at any age and the major causes are anxiety, smoking, stress, heavy alcohol consumption, depression, insomnia and caffeine. According to the research, bruxism occurs majorly in people who suffer from sleep apnea (obstructive), who snore or someone whose lifestyle involves a heavy caffeine intake.
Treatments
How to treat the teeth grinding problem? First, you need to find out the cause of grinding before treating the problem. Identify if it is due to anxiety, stress, sleep disorder or lifestyle issues. Visit your dentist or orthodontist to find out which treatment plan will work best for you.
You can also prevent your teeth from fracture or damage by wearing an occlusal appliance. There are different types of appliances like occlusal bite guards, bite plates, occlusal splints, night guards and bruxism appliance.
These personalized bruxism appliances are made to fit over top and bottom of your teeth. These appliances will help you reduce the pain in your jaws and protect your teeth.
Don’t let your teeth get in the way of your sleep, rest easy by visiting us today!
