Tag Archives: bruxism

Woman holding both hands against jaw, pained expression, lying down

How Teeth Grinding Can Ruin Your Teeth

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Your teeth consist of many layers that keep them strong and healthy. Enamel is the outermost layer of your teeth, and it is responsible for protecting your teeth against the outside world. Without enamel, your teeth would wear and tear much too easily. Excessive pressure can wear down your enamel and put you in danger of dental damage. This is but one way teeth grinding can ruin your teeth.

There are several risks of teeth grinding that your local DTLA dentist wants to warn you about. It’s important to know how teeth grinding can ruin your teeth so you can get the help you need to stop your bad grinding habits right away.

Causes of Tooth Grinding

Tooth grinding, also known as bruxism, is a common condition that often turns into a bad habit. When you constantly push or gnash your teeth together, you are causing potential harm to your mouth.

Common causes of tooth grinding include:

  • Anxiety
  • Stress
  • Medication overreaction
  • Pain
  • Bad dreams

A lot of people find out that they are grinding teeth overnight, which is a common ailment. While it is frustrating to feel out of control of your tooth grinding habit, there are treatments available that can keep you from letting this habit happen while you sleep.

Ultimately, tooth grinding is dangerous for your teeth. There are many dangers posed by bruxism.

How Teeth Grinding Can Ruin Your Teeth

Excessively grinding your teeth can lead to some bad oral health habits. Let’s take a look at the worst risks you are facing when you grind your teeth:

Chips and Cracks

When you grind your teeth, you are greatly wearing down the enamel that protects your teeth from damage. This makes it easy for your teeth to chip and crack over time. Your teeth will become brittle and it will be more difficult to repair them if they sustain permanent damage.

Abfraction

Abfraction refers to the loss of tooth matter by the base of the tooth. Depending on your pattern of tooth grinding, you may find that you have significant tooth loss in areas that were once supporting healthy bone structure.

Gum Recession

An unfortunate result of excessive tooth grinding is gum recession, which occurs when your teeth damage your gums. The grinding action slowly pulls teeth out of their position in the gums, opening a gateway to infection and gum disease. Gum recession indicates many different oral health issues, and it is important to seek dental treatment right away.

TMJ

TMJ disorder describes the pain or stiffness in the joints that connect the upper and lower jaw. These joints are located just below your temples and can cause many uncomfortable symptoms, such as migraines, constant pain, and the inability to open your mouth all the way.

Attrition

Your teeth wear away at each other over time the more you grind them. You’ll eventually grind the top part of your teeth down, making it harder for you to bite or chew things. Damage done to the surface or the “biting” part of the teeth is known as attrition.

Best Tooth Grinding Treatments

It can be hard to break a bad habit, especially when you perpetuate that habit subconsciously. How do you stop grinding your teeth if you do it in your sleep?

While it takes time to get rid of the action, you can protect your teeth against further damage in the meantime. Mouthguards are specifically designed to shield your teeth against each other.

You can wear mouthguards at night while you sleep, so in the event your teeth want to grind, you are at least providing a rubber barrier so they do not cause harm to your dental structure. Further treatments can be discussed with your specialist after you have worn a mouthguard for a while.

Stop Grinding Your Teeth!

Get the best treatments and mouthguards Downtown Los Angeles has to offer. At Samaritan Dental Arts, we are passionate about restoring your mouth to good health. For inquiries about the dangers of tooth grinding, and to schedule a consultation with our specialist, get in touch with our staff right away.

Graphic of bruxism, high angle of lower jaw, teeth are worn down by grinding

How to Stop Grinding My Teeth!

Dental Care at Home, , ,

One of the biggest reasons why our adult patients schedule visits with us is because they are experiencing pain in their teeth or jaw. While many issues could lead to symptoms of pain, one of the most common is bruxism: the grinding of the teeth. You might ask: how do I stop grinding my teeth?

First, you may be grinding your teeth every day without even knowing about it. For many people, grinding the teeth is a way to deal with stress subconsciously. Some people also grind their teeth while they sleep.

It’s not surprising that this excessive grinding can lead to pain and tension throughout the teeth. If not stopped, it can also damage teeth. At Samaritan Dental Arts, we want our patients to understand how serious teeth clenching can be, and some of the best ways to stop this subconscious habit.

Why We Grind Our Teeth So Much

The biggest reason why someone would grind their teeth so much is due to stress and worry. An NHS study states most people grind their teeth while they sleep, so it can be difficult to tell whether you are a tooth-grinder.

While some people with bruxism are asymptomatic, it is common for people who grind daily to feel symptoms of pain in the head, neck, jaw, and face. Bruxism is a common disorder, but it can lead to more serious such as TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder).

How to Stop Grinding Teeth – Even During Sleep

What are some of the best methods to stop grinding your teeth? How can you get rid of this bad habit if you aren’t even conscious when you’re doing it?

Thankfully, there are a few methods you can employ to try and stop yourself from grinding your teeth so much. Try out some of our dentist-approved ideas below:

1. Avoid Stimulating Foods and Drinks Before Bed

Try not to consume anything stimulating for a few hours before your bedtime. This includes drinks like coffee, alcohol, and soda, as well as foods that contain chocolate and other sugar-filled treats.

These items can severely affect your sleep since their ingredients make your body want to burst with energy. You want to start focusing on things that can help your mind and your body wind down before it’s time to go to bed. Better quality sleep can help prevent you from tossing, turning, and grinding your teeth at night.

2. Invest in a Mouth Guard

One of the best possible solutions that can have the best results involves scheduling an appointment with your trusted local dentist. During your appointment, you can be fitted for a custom mouth guard or mouth splint. This is something soft that you would wear at night to prevent your tooth-grinding habits from having such a negative effect on the rest of your body. It doesn’t get rid of the bruxism, but it provides a shield to keep the rest of you from getting hurt.

3. Get a Muscle Relaxer

In more severe cases where the bruxism has developed into some symptoms of pain for your mouth, you may need to get a muscle relaxant to relieve all of that tension building up in your jaw. You can consult with your dentist to get a medically-prescribed relaxant. There may be some other muscle-relaxing solutions that you can work with your dentist and your primary care doctor to acquire.

What Can Bruxism Lead To?

If you have already been grinding your teeth for a long time without any intervention, you may be suffering from a myriad of symptoms. Most commonly, you will feel headaches and tension in the jaw all along your mouth. Your teeth may also become sore and loosened over time. Cracks can appear in the teeth if you clench down for too long.

Other symptoms of grinding your teeth can include:

  • Disruption of regular sleep patterns
  • Tired jaw muscles
  • Jaw locking or not being able to open and close all the way
  • Damage on the inside of your cheek from biting down
  • Worn down tooth enamel
  • Fractured or chipped teeth
  • Increased pain in the mouth
  • Headaches in the temples
  • Soreness in the face, neck, or jaw

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, or if you notice yourself grinding your teeth during times of stress, it’s important to seek dental care right away.

Take Care of Your Teeth Before It’s Too Late!

Your grinding habits may seem harmless at first, but they can have some devastating long-term effects. It can be challenging to break this habit, especially since so much of it happens while you are asleep. But with help from our friendly experts at Samaritan Dental Arts, we can come up with a solution that will reduce the effects of grinding and help you get your daily life back on track. For more information, contact us online or give us a call at (213) 986-2933 to schedule a consultation.