Do you grind your teeth at night? You may not be aware that you do, but if you wake up with a sore jaw or achy teeth, chances are it’s because you’re grinding them.
Some people know definitely, no doubt about it, that they grind their teeth: either their spouse complains about the noise – or wakes up because of it – or the grinder wakes up with the sore jaw, as mentioned above.
So if this is you – or your partner – take a look below for the causes of teeth grinding as well as some tips you can try to stop or alleviate it.
“Teeth grinding” is a condition known as bruxism and it actually has you clenching your jaws rhythmically. While it’s possible to grind your teeth while awake, most of those who do, do so when asleep.
People tend to grind their teeth due to anxiety, stress, after drinking a lot of alcohol, or smoking heavily. Some teeth grinders may be depressed or have a sleep disorder.
Bruxism tends to present itself more in those with sleep apnea, regular smokers, or heavy coffee (caffeine) or alcohol drinkers, while most people (about 70 percent) of tooth grinders do so because of stress and/or anxiety.
Bruxism’s symptoms include:
· Headaches when awake
· Enlarged facial muscles
· Pain or discomfort in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
· Stiff neck or shoulders
· Sleep disorders
· Ear pain
Your teeth also may show increased wear and even movement. Some people who grind their teeth are at risk of breaking or losing teeth.
About 10 percent of adults suffer from bruxism, and it presents itself more commonly in women than in men. If you notice jaw pain once awake, it usually dissipates during the day.
Before treating your bruxism, it’s important to try to figure out what’s causing it because your dentist will create a comprehensive treatment plan specifically for you.
If you and your healthcare provider believe the bruxism is caused by stress, he may recommend that you work to reduce your stress by exercising, meeting with a stress reduction counselor and/or performing relaxation exercises such as meditation. Your physician or dentist also may prescribe muscle relaxants or even Botox (if you don’t respond to other treatments). You also should cut back on alcohol and caffeine, as well as medications that contain amphetamines.
Your dentist also could recommend – and teach you – how to hold your jaw and mouth properly so that you can learn how to change the grinding behavior.
Other treatments involve protecting your teeth from wear and breakage by wearing a mouth guard or splint while you sleep. These keep your upper and lower teeth separated so that if you do clench your jaw, your teeth won’t grind. These splints/guards usually are made of soft material or even a hard acrylic shaped to fit over your lower and upper teeth.
If your teeth aren’t aligned properly and if your dentist feels it to be the right course of action, he may decide to either place crowns on your teeth or reshape their chewing surfaces.
Image courtesy of imagerymajestic/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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