What is Teeth Grinding / Teeth Clenching?
During normal sleep, people normally keep their jaws relaxed and separated. But, some people contract jaw muscles until the jaws meet and teeth or clench or move horizontally against each other in a grinding motion. The pressure jaws can exert is enormous and this pressure, as well as the movement of the teeth, causes the damage and pain. When the teeth clenching or grinding cause damage, the condition is called bruxism (read more on wikipedia).
While most people clench their teeth at night, some do it during the day as well. Teeth grinding during the day is easier to notice and prevent, by consciously relaxing jaws . . .
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What Are the Causes?
Most people grind their teeth when they are under stress. Misalignment of teeth can also cause teeth grinding, and so can the use of some drugs. Missing teeth can also cause misalignment and consequent bruxing. Infants clench their jaws and rub them together when they are teething, because their gums are hurting. Others get accustomed to the circular motion of jaws when they have a pacifier. When the pacifier is taken away, they continue with this motion. Earache can also cause some children to grind their teeth. Hyperactive children (and adults) are more likely to grind their teeth.
Finding the underlying cause of bruxism can be very difficult, especially if it is stress-related. That is why most dentists recommend that people who are grinding their teeth habitually need to protect their teeth from further damage with a dental mouth guard as soon as they are diagnosed with bruxism. . .
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Signs and Symptoms?
Most people first learn that they are grinding teeth after their dentists informs them that their teeth are worn out, enamel cracked or teeth lose. Many people experience pain in their jaw, neck and eyes and debilitating headaches in the morning, after a night of teeth grinding. Unfortunately, until they learn from their dentist that they are grinding teeth, people often do not relate their pain and headaches with teeth grinding. Teeth grinding also causes poor sleep, and is considered a sleep disorder. . .
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Should I use a Night Guard?
The first line of defense, once you are diagnosed with teeth grinding, is a good dental mouth guard. Regardless of what many advertisements say, mouth guards do not cure bruxism. They only prevent teeth from meeting and grinding against each other. But, for many people who grind their teeth when under stress, that is often all they need. Once the stress is gone, so is the teeth grinding.
The most important reason for using dental mouth guard as soon as possible is to prevent further damage to the teeth. Finding the underlying cause for the teeth grinding can take a long time.
There are many types of dental mouth guards on the market. They differ in the quality of the material and in the comfort they provide. The best dental mouth guards are custom made for each person. While your dentist can make you a dental mouth guard according the dental impression of your teeth, the price he will charge for this service is often exceedingly high and many people cannot afford it. A number of dental labs now offer custom made dental mouth guards, of the same quality as those provided by the dentist. In fact, those labs make the mouth guards your dentist is providing you. By bypassing the dentist and making the dental impression yourself, as per instructions of the dental lab, you can save a significant amount of money. . .
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What is a Biofeedback and Will it Help Me?
Biofeedback device is the only device on the market which can actually stop you from grinding your teeth. The device works on the principle of ‘Pavlovian reflex’, by learning to relax jaws every time the device emits a light sound. The most popular biofeedback device is biofeedback headband, which is easy to use and, according to many happy users, can stop teeth grinding in a very short time. . .
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How to Stop Grinding Your Teeth at Night?
Is your teeth grinding keeping you awake at night? Many people are surprised when they learn that they are consistently grinding their teeth. While some people grind their teeth with no consequences, about one in ten Americans grind teeth until they cause serious damage. Other common consequences of teeth grinding or teeth clenching is pain in the jaws, jaw inflammation (TMJ), pressure headaches/migraines, pain in the neck and eyes and others. Teeth grinding can become a serious condition unless it is treated and underlying causes addressed. If you found out that you grind your teeth, try to learn as much as you can about this unpleasant habit and about the ways to deal with it and treat it. . .
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