Bruxism isn’t a limited to only people who are unconsciously grinding their teeth at night. Many patients also grind their teeth during the waking hours of the day, without realizing they’re doing it. This issue is known to be caused by anxiety and stress that takes over the day. Other reasons as to why someone may grind their teeth is due to a misaligned bite, a sleep disorder, jaw issues, or even Temporomandibular joint disorder. Certain patients that may be more at risk for this issue are people who are overweight, have certain neurological conditions, or are on certain medications.
If you are unsure if you grind your teeth at night, perhaps one of the following symptoms may be triggered by this? Do you wake-up with stiffness in the jaw, facial pain, soreness in the teeth and gums, ear or headaches? Some people may even notice that they now have mysterious cracks or little chips in their teeth. When a person grinds their teeth in their sleep, with no form of protection, the pressure that this can cause is substantial. Whether you have all natural teeth, or even a mix of natural teeth and dental restorations, you will notice that all of your current teeth will be affected by this issue.
With patients that have dental crowns or dentures, may find that there will be tenderness in or around the area of where the restorations sit- even long after the treatments have healed. The pressure that is created by grinding is added to these restorations and are slowly uprooting them from their new space. The pain that this can cause can be unbearable and costly (as the restorations may need to be replaced sooner than expected).
Fortunately, Drs. Tracey Nguyen, Steven Frames and the team at Lansdowne Dental Care know there is a simple way to prevent these issues simply by wearing a night guard. The Lansdowne Dental Care team is happy to assess patients to see if their tooth grinding (or even jaw clenching) can be alleviated through the use of night guards.
When the doctors at The Lansdowne Dental Care have determined you are a good candidate, you will soon see the benefits from this form of remedy. The doctors will use high-tech imaging tools to custom make the molds to perfectly fit your mouth and teeth. Once you wear this mouth-piece, you will notice the immediate comfort during your normal hours of sleep, and you will feel a release of pressure when you wake up as well. The issues that were once caused by the grinding will be alleviated simply by using a custom-made mouthpiece that will retain the pressure caused by the grinding.
Drs. Tracey Nguyen, Steven Frames and the team at Lansdowne Dental Care even recommend wearing the mouthpiece during what may be stressful times, such as your morning or evening commutes to work. This practice can also alleviate some pains that may be associated with the clenching of the jaw as well as grinding in general.