Top tips to help you stop grinding your teeth
The signs that you grind your teeth are immediately apparent to your dentist the second that you open your mouth.
We are able to tell from the wear and tear on your teeth as well as any tenderness in your jaw muscles that you have been grinding your teeth (also called bruxism). It might not sound like a very serious condition but the impact of grinding your teeth definitely can be.
Grinding your teeth can cause facial pain, earache and headaches as well as wearing down your teeth. This can cause broken teeth, the need for fillings and eventually even lead to tooth loss. This is why it is very important to treat teeth grinding and why you should see your dentist urgently. If you’re aware that you grind your teeth when you are concentrating, stressed or anxious then this is a habit that can be broken with a little bit of work. Stopping grinding your teeth if you do it in your sleep is trickier.
One of the quickest ways to treat teeth grinding is to buy an occlusal appliance, or night guard. They are custom-made for your mouth to fit over your top or bottom teeth. They will help to reduce jaw muscle pain and protect your teeth and temporomandibular joint.
As one of the primary reasons that people grind their teeth is stress or anxiety, tackling this issue is just as vital as obtaining a physical treatment like a night guard. If stress is causing you to grind your teeth, then you need to take urgent action to reduce your stress.
Obtaining counselling on how to manage your stress levels as well as exercising, eating well and taking other measures to lower your stress levels is very important. Simply doing something that brings you pleasure once a week for one hour can have a huge impact on your mental wellbeing. Take time out to think about what activities bring you joy and then schedule that into your weekly routine. Whether it is cooking, painting, yoga or even gardening, doing what you love is a brilliant way to improve your mental health. Practising mindfulness is also now being hailed as a tremendously successful treatment for sufferers of stress.
Mindfulness helps people to reduce stress and anxiety. By paying attention to what is going on around you and by being more reflective than reactive, you will be able to drastically reduce your stress and anxiety levels. From there, you will start to see a reduction in your teeth grinding as your stress levels start to decrease. You’ll then notice an improvement in your mouth’s health and the overall health of your teeth.
By regularly attending your dental appointments every six months, you will be taking the first step towards protecting your teeth reducing the need for any expensive or invasive treatments. To discuss whether you have been grinding your teeth in your sleep and what you can do to stop grinding your teeth, call us on 01732 882413.
Contact us to make an appointment today.
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