Are you a person that grinds their teeth and want to know how to stop it?
Taking good care of your teeth and gums is of crucial importance to your overall health.
Because when you have increased teeth sensitivity, you can neither eat hot and cold foods or brush your teeth without experiencing a flash of pain.
This could all be a result of grinding your teeth.
That’s why we are presenting you with this article on safe and effective ways on how to stop teeth grinding and improve your overall health and oral care.
Improve Oral Hygiene with a Water Flosser
You can reach all your teeth using a water flosser. You’ll be able to reach your molars without excessive effort or having to open your mouth extra wide. View our best Waterpik reviews.
Teeth Grinding aka Bruxism Explained
Grinding your teeth is also known as bruxism and can become the cause of a wide range of health issues. Such as headaches, damaged teeth and increased tooth sensitivity to jaw disorders and sleep disturbances.
The sooner your case of daytime and sleep bruxism is addressed, the better it will be for your mind and body.
Symptons Of Teeth Grinding
Bruxism is a condition wherein an affected person unconsciously grinds, gnashes or clenches his or her teeth. The habit may be done while awake (awake bruxism) or while asleep (sleep bruxism). Both types have similar causes and treatments although we must also emphasize that individualized treatment is a must.
But do you have bruxism as the medical experts define it? If you have these signs and symptoms, then you should consider talking to your doctor or dentist and getting the best mouth guard to protect your teeth.
Mild Symptons
Many, if not most, of these symptoms will significantly decrease or completely disappear when the teeth grinding stops. Your dentist will also likely look for these signs and symptoms during your regular dental visits.
You may be in denial about this issue but your dentist can get you out of it and recommend appropriate treatments, if necessary.
Furthermore, if you exhibit any of these signs, your dentist will also look for changes in your teeth and mouth during the succeeding visits. Your dentist will determine whether it’s a progressive condition and determine the need for treatment.
In most cases, mild bruxism will not require treatment because there’s little to no adverse side effects. But if you experience these symptoms, you should see your dentist as soon as possible.
Severe Symptons
Seek Help To Stop Your Teeth Grinding
You and your dentist can discuss the best ways on how to stop teeth grinding in your case during your appointment. And speaking of your dentist appointment, you are well-advised to be ready to answer questions and discuss your concerns.
You can prepare by writing down these things before your dentist appointment:
Questions To Ask About Your Treatment
You should also be prepared with your own questions that will shed more light on your condition and provide more information necessary to formulate an individualized plan.
The questions should include:
1. Why do I grind my teeth?
2. Which types of tests will I be required to undergo in order to determine the causes?
3. What are the treatment options possible?
4. What are the best treatments in my case?
5. Will there be a need for me to consult with a specialist? This is in case you have an underlying medical condition or you have complications from bruxism.
6. What resources are available to help me cope with bruxism?
You and your dentist have to work closely in order to determine whether you may have bruxism or not. Many of its signs and symptoms are similar to other medical conditions so it’s important for your dentist to arrive at a definitive diagnosis.
What Causes Teeth Grinding?
The importance of identifying the teeth grinding causes in each case cannot be overemphasized. Every case is unique, from its set of causes and its type (i.e. sleep or awake) to its frequency and severity.
The treatment plan should then be made according to the individual’s specific circumstances which will increase the chances for a successful treatment.
Keep in mind that the cause of teeth grinding can’t always be clearly identified.
But bruxism is typically linked to a wide range of factors including stress, sleep issues and anxiety. You and your dentist will then agree on the best possible course of action depending on the set of factors that contributes to your teeth grinding habit.
The most common causes of teeth grinding are discussed below.
Stress And Anxiety
Many people who grind their teeth aren’t aware that it’s linked to stress and/or anxiety in their lives. It may be from a traumatic episode in their life or a radical life change. Such as the knowledge of infidelity, a divorce or a deep frustration at work.
It usually happens during sleep so the affected person doesn’t know he or she has developed the habit.
Medication
Certain medications can result in teeth grinding as a side effect. In particular, the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been linked to bruxism.
SSRIs are a type of antidepressant used in the treatment of depression, bipolar disorders and anxiety disorders. These medications include fluoxetine, paroxetine and sertraline.
You should not stop taking your prescription medications, especially for the treatment of mental health disorders, without the approval of your psychiatrist first.
This is true even when these medications have possibly caused your teeth grinding habit. Your psychiatrist will determine whether you can stop with your medications to switch you to another drug.
Sleep disorders
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder that interrupts breathing while the affected person is sleeping. It’s the most common cause of teeth grinding, not to mention that it requires appropriate medical treatment as it has several complications when left untreated.
Furthermore, people who do one or more of these things also have higher chances of grinding their teeth at night:
- Talk or mumble in their sleep
- Have violent behaviors in their sleep, such as punching and kicking
- Have sleep paralysis, a condition characterized by the temporary inability to speak or move either while falling asleep or waking up
- Experience hallucinations while semi-conscious
If you think that you may have a sleep disorder or you do these things, you have to ask your sleep partner to make notes about it.
Your dentist and/or doctor will use the information in determining both the cause of your teeth grinding and its treatment as well as the treatment for its underlying cause (e.g. sleep apnea).
Teeth grinding, especially among people with sleep disorders, also happens at night due to the body’s natural cycle. Throughout the night, the brain goes through a cycle of lighter and deeper sleep stages (i.e. REM and non-REM). As the brain approaches the deeper sleep stage, all of the body’s muscles relax that, in turn can cause issues with the airway.
Basically, the jaw becomes heavy causing a blocked airway. The fully relaxed tongue also expands to nearly twice its normal size, which also results in a blocked airway.