Most people associate a visit to the dentist as being a normal routine checkup for simple procedures such as Smile Perfected teeth whitening procedures or general cleanings. But for some people, teeth grinding is a big problem especially when they can’t seem to control it at all. If you have this kind of problem, you might want to visit your Dentist in Ballwin so that you can get an opinion on what to do about it.
Get to know more about teeth grinding first before you figure out how to deal with it.
Teeth grinding, or bruxism, as it is known among dentists and doctors, occurs because these people have sleep disorders, or they experience a lot of stress and anxiety. Whichever of these is the cause, the fact is that teeth grinding is generally observed in patients while they are asleep.
Some patients also grind their teeth while they are awake. If this is happening to you, you really need to find a good dentist who will help you because left untreated teeth grinding can harm your teeth. You might wind up with broken or worn-down teeth, which will really affect your smile as well as your dental health in general.
Teeth grinding can result in these:
Your dentist may recommend the following solutions to address your teeth grinding problem.
Even people who have lost some teeth due to teeth grinding may benefit from cosmetic dentistry prostheses like dentures. So you may wind up with a good looking smile after all, even if you were grinding your teeth in the past.
The mouth guard that the dentist will prescribe for you serves the same purpose – to prevent you from biting and grinding down on your teeth while you are asleep. Since you will be the only one using this, the mouth guard is customized for the shape of your mouth and fixed position of your teeth.
Sometimes it works the other way around – a patient might visit a psychologist for a personal reason then the psychologist will refer the patient to a dentist for the teeth grinding problem. Either way, the dentist and the psychologist will try to come up with solutions to prevent the teeth grinding from getting worse.
Teeth grinding is more common than you may think because many people grind their teeth without being conscious of it. However, sometimes teeth grinding becomes a major problem for some because they may do it to the point that problems develop. Some common problems caused or related to teeth grinding are biting your tongue, biting your cheeks, cracked or worn-down teeth, misaligned teeth, loss of teeth, problems with the jaw such as temporomandibular joint disease and swelling, headaches, and even earaches.
If you develop problems due to teeth grinding, you may have to seek help from a dentist. The dentist can recommend certain treatments for you such as cosmetic dentistry, mouth guards or mouth splints, and even orthodontic treatment, depending on the degree of damage that the teeth grinding has done and may cause in the future. Botox injections are one treatment you may look into if your teeth grinding still doesn’t stop after going through the other prescribed treatments. You should also visit your dentist regularly to see if there is progress in your oral care.
Don’t forget to practice self-care strategies too because you can help reduce the teeth grinding to a certain extent. Some ways you can practice self-care are taking a warm bath at night and wearing comfortable clothes to sleep in.
In addition, your dentist may refer you to a psychologist and/or psychiatrist for complementary treatment such as psychotherapy and medication. This may be necessary if the teeth grinding seems to be caused by the patient’s deeper personal problems. The good news though is that there are still some medical professionals who may be able to help patients who want to stop their teeth grinding and live a more normal life.
This post was last modified on December 24, 2020 7:46 am
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