Are you grinding or clenching your teeth when you sleep? Most people don’t know that they’re doing it until they wake up with a sore jaw or headache. Nearly, 70 percent of people grind or clench their teeth from some type of stress or anxiety in their life. Grinding or clenching your teeth is also known as Bruxism and symptoms can include headaches, muscle aches, TMJ or temporomandibular joint discomfort, stiffness of your shoulders and neck, and sleep disorders.
Stress and anxiety are just two causes of grinding your teeth, but some other causes that you may not have been aware of are smoking, drinking heavy amounts of alcohol, caffeine, and depression. Although, there is little evidence to directly backup any of these causes, the Bruxism Association categorizes these as all possible causes of teeth grinding and clenching. When not treated these causes can damage and eventually lead to the loss of your teeth.
Luckily, for the 70 percent of people that grind and clench Philadelphia Dentistry offers a custom made night guard that protects your teeth from grinding and clenching. A night guard is custom made to fit perfectly on the top of your teeth so your teeth don’t grind or clench with the bottoms. By wearing your night guard you will reduce the chances of your teeth falling out from damage. Also any symptoms you may be having due to grinding will be drastically reduced or even completely disappear from wearing your night guard when you sleep.
If wearing a night guard is not the right choice for you, there are other options to consider reducing stress and anxiety. One way is to practice relaxation techniques before going to bed. These relaxation techniques such as, meditation and psychoanalysis can help you manage your stress levels. Even hypnosis is used to stop clenching and grinding and has been found to have positive long term effects. People often use a combination of these relaxation techniques to put an end to teeth grinding.
If you are experiencing any of these problems and you think you may be grinding or clenching your teeth at night, schedule a free new patient consultation with Philly Dentistry. You’ll have the best dentists in Philadelphia give you an evaluation and get you back to being happy and healthy for life! Call us today at 215-568-6222.
