Beating Bruxism

A majority of the patients of your Lexington dentist who grind their teeth don’t even know they do it. Chronic teeth grinding, called bruxism, typically occurs while one is asleep at night to relieve the stress of their day subconsciously.

Over time, this habit performed nightly can cause some huge dental detriments. To make patients more aware of the signs, results and possible treatment methods for teeth grinding, your Lexington dentist has compiled the following blog:

Signs

While one may think that the sound of grinding or sight of it could be enough to set off an alarm, it sometimes may not be. One can potentially identify the signs of grinding at night if they pay attention to a few things, however.

Do the teeth appear to be smooth at the top where there should be distinct chewing surface? What about the teeth appearing physically shorter? New pains or clicks/pops in the jaw and/or migraines starting to occur out of nowhere? These are all signs and conditions related to bruxism.

Results

Left untreated, teeth grinding can do serious harm. Of course, this can cause damage to the teeth, slowly wearing them away, but it also can cause teeth to fall out and damage to the surrounding tissue/muscles involved. This can lead to trouble speaking, chewing and much more. Microscopic cracks in the teeth can also form, leading to more “typical” dental issues such as decay and disease, at a much quicker rate.

Solutions

Once the issue is identified by you or your Lexington dentist, one of the best means of stopping your grinding is to wear a night time mouth guard. These “night guards,” like normal mouth guards, prevent the teeth from coming into contact with each other, and hopefully over time can dissuade the instinct to grind. Other methods of prevention and solutions include stress management classes, behavioral therapy, surgery and massage.

If you believe you may be grinding your teeth at night- taking action early is key. Call your Lexington dentist today to schedule an appointment and stop your grinding now! We can be reached at (859) 266-2570.