Do you suffer from tooth grinding. Have you been unsuccessful to stop grinding tooth symptoms, that cause you despair?
Have you been told that you grind your teeth while sleeping? You may not know it but your sleeping partner does.
Bruxism is the dental term for tooth grinding. A lot of people grind, clench or tap their teeth together especially while asleep.
Facial and jaw soreness, headache, pain, fractured teeth and abrasion can result from this bad habit.
What causes tooth grinding?
According to dental experts, bruxism is an unconscious way of relieving stress. Studies show that ninety-eight percent of adults clench their teeth together as a reaction to their emotional distress. It has also been found that for some unexplained reasons women are four times more prone to exhibit symptoms of bruxism than men.
Bruxism does not occur entirely as a result of some emotional disturbance, occasionally it may be caused by dental malocclusion.
Malocclusion is a dental term that refers to teeth that do not fit together or are improperly positioned.
In response to this abnormality, the body tries to grind the teeth into proper occlusion.
However, tooth grinding can also cause malocclusion. It is said that we exert 25 to 50 pounds of force when we bite or chew our food.
While grinding or clenching one’s teeth, a person can exert as much as 500 pounds of force.
This is the reason why tooth grinding can cause so much harm to our oral health.
Here are some helpful questions to check, to stop grinding tooth.
If you answer yes to most of these questions then there is a big probability that you suffer from tooth grinding.
1. Is your jaw clenched right now? If so, try to relax it and keep your teeth slightly apart.
2. Do you wake up in the morning feeling soreness or tightness in your neck and jaw muscles?
3. Do you clench your jaw when you feel stressed?
4. Do you often find yourself massaging your face and jaw muscles because they feel tight or sore?
5. Are your teeth sensitive to both hot and cold?
6. Do you ever feel that your teeth are loose?
7. Does your jaw ever ache?
You can still help yourself minimize daytime clenching by trying these techniques:
1. Make a conscious effort to relax your face and jaw. If you suddenly feel that you are becoming tense, try to focus on loosening and stretching your facial muscles.
2. Take a walk or breathe deeply. These are some of the stress-relieving techniques that can keep you from clenching or grinding your teeth.
3. Caffeine and decongestants are stimulants that can make your muscles tense. Avoid these as much as possible.
4. Enroll yourself in a stress-reduction technique class so that you will be able to manage your stress effectively.
5. Before going to bed, try taking a hot bath or listen to soothing music so that you will be able to relax. Drinking a glass of warm milk will also be helpful.
Tooth Grinding may not be relieved through self care alone especially if you are a night-time grinder. Professional help is advised especially if your bruxism is related to anxiety, work stress or emotional upset. A dental night guard made especially for you by your dentist will be helpful in protecting the surfaces of your teeth from abrasion caused by the effects of grinding.
Have you been told that you grind your teeth while sleeping? You may not know it but your sleeping partner does.
Bruxism is the dental term for tooth grinding. A lot of people grind, clench or tap their teeth together especially while asleep.
Facial and jaw soreness, headache, pain, fractured teeth and abrasion can result from this bad habit.
What causes tooth grinding?
According to dental experts, bruxism is an unconscious way of relieving stress. Studies show that ninety-eight percent of adults clench their teeth together as a reaction to their emotional distress. It has also been found that for some unexplained reasons women are four times more prone to exhibit symptoms of bruxism than men.
Bruxism does not occur entirely as a result of some emotional disturbance, occasionally it may be caused by dental malocclusion.
Malocclusion is a dental term that refers to teeth that do not fit together or are improperly positioned.
In response to this abnormality, the body tries to grind the teeth into proper occlusion.
However, tooth grinding can also cause malocclusion. It is said that we exert 25 to 50 pounds of force when we bite or chew our food.
While grinding or clenching one’s teeth, a person can exert as much as 500 pounds of force.
This is the reason why tooth grinding can cause so much harm to our oral health.
Here are some helpful questions to check, to stop grinding tooth.
If you answer yes to most of these questions then there is a big probability that you suffer from tooth grinding.
1. Is your jaw clenched right now? If so, try to relax it and keep your teeth slightly apart.
2. Do you wake up in the morning feeling soreness or tightness in your neck and jaw muscles?
3. Do you clench your jaw when you feel stressed?
4. Do you often find yourself massaging your face and jaw muscles because they feel tight or sore?
5. Are your teeth sensitive to both hot and cold?
6. Do you ever feel that your teeth are loose?
7. Does your jaw ever ache?
You can still help yourself minimize daytime clenching by trying these techniques:
1. Make a conscious effort to relax your face and jaw. If you suddenly feel that you are becoming tense, try to focus on loosening and stretching your facial muscles.
2. Take a walk or breathe deeply. These are some of the stress-relieving techniques that can keep you from clenching or grinding your teeth.
3. Caffeine and decongestants are stimulants that can make your muscles tense. Avoid these as much as possible.
4. Enroll yourself in a stress-reduction technique class so that you will be able to manage your stress effectively.
5. Before going to bed, try taking a hot bath or listen to soothing music so that you will be able to relax. Drinking a glass of warm milk will also be helpful.
Tooth Grinding may not be relieved through self care alone especially if you are a night-time grinder. Professional help is advised especially if your bruxism is related to anxiety, work stress or emotional upset. A dental night guard made especially for you by your dentist will be helpful in protecting the surfaces of your teeth from abrasion caused by the effects of grinding.
