You may not even know you’re doing it, but you could be damaging your teeth every night. Teeth grinding is a very common problem, that affects more people than you would think. It’s been reported that anywhere from 8-31% of the general population grind their teeth regularly. The team at La Vita Dental Centre can help you resolve your teeth grinding problems.
Causes
Teeth Grinding can be caused by stress and anxiety. You know if you’re stressed. Exams, work, family, so many things cause stress in our lives. If you’re stressed regularly throughout your day and experiencing headaches or jaw pain, you might be grinding your teeth at night and are completely unaware.
Teeth grinding is also very likely to be caused by an abnormal bite, missing, or jagged teeth. Another cause of teeth grinding could be a sleep condition such as sleep apnea. If a sleeping disorder is causing the grinding, treating it may lower or eliminate the grinding practice.
How to know if you’re grinding
Common signs of teeth grinding consist of waking up with a headache, the sensation of inflammation or discomfort in the jaw, or inexplicable damage to teeth. Grinding and clenching throughout sleep can create a force of 200 pounds or more! That kind of impact occurring nightly can take a toll on the health of your teeth. Grinding can also lead to damage of the tooth enamel and other oral illness.
Get a mouth guard
If unaddressed, teeth grinding can lead to permanent tooth and oral damage that require surgery, such as wearing down your teeth to small dental stumps. You can buy a custom fit mouth guard that will allow you to protect the integrity of your teeth as you sleep!
Stop yourself from grinding
La Vita Dental Centre advises teeth grinders to cut back on caffeinated drinks like coffee, energy drinks, or pop. Keep in mind that alcohol has the tendency to increase grinding. It’s a good idea to avoid chewing gum because it familiarizes your jaw muscles with clenching. If you find yourself grinding during the day, try and relax your jaw muscles. But If you’re grinding your teeth, the best solution to prevent damage is to get fitted for a custom mouth guard!
Get your teeth checked for signs of night-grinding, call La Vita Dental Centre to set up an appointment.