What Can a Dentist in Wayland Do for My Grinding Habit?

Think about your day to day life and schedule. Sometimes, just thinking about it can be stressful! However, as overwhelming as life can get sometimes, it’s best to learn how to manage your stress because the stress can cause concerns for your body—even your smile.

Teeth grinding is one of those conditions that can be catalyzed by stress. Thankfully, your dentist in Wayland is here to help you treat teeth grinding before it develops into more dental problems. Learn more in this week’s blog post.

Understanding Chronic Teeth Grinding

If you find yourself clenching your teeth, that’s just one of your body’s many ways of responding to stress. The problem begins when you clench your teeth subconsciously all the time. It can be hard to discover a problem when it’s subconscious, but you’ll begin to see and feel the effects of teeth grinding on your teeth.

When you clench your teeth without control, your dentist will refer to this problem as bruxism. The motion and pressure of teeth against themselves can begin to take a toll on your smile, as well as the muscles in your face and your temporomandibular joints.

Signs and symptoms of bruxism include:

• Wear and tear on your teeth—especially the back teeth.
• Orofacial pain in the head, neck, jaws, and teeth.
• Regular headaches.
• Ear pain similar to an earache.
• Irregular sleeping patterns.

Teeth Grinding Can Lead to TMJ Disorder

Bruxism and TMJ disorder are closely related conditions, but you shouldn’t confuse them to be the same thing. Bruxism can be caused by misalignment of your TMJ. Also, your TMJ can be affected by the act of chronic teeth grinding.

In addition to the symptoms listed above, you could experience the symptoms associated with chronic teeth grinding. Learn more about those symptoms when you ask your dentist about TMJ disorder and the different ways to treat it.

Your Dentist Can Help with Teeth Grinding

Your dentist is here to help you relieve the inconvenient and painful symptoms of teeth grinding. You’ll need to schedule an appointment, and your visit will go something like this:

• Your dentist will carefully examine your teeth, jaw and movement of your muscle to determine the true cause of your pain.
• Your dentist may also take dental x-rays to view the inner and outer structures of your smile.
• If your case is in fact teeth grinding, then your dentist will prescribe a custom fitted nightguard to help protect your teeth.

Simply wear your custom mouthguard while you sleep to stop your teeth from grinding against each other at night. If you’re ready to learn more about what could be causing your orofacial pain, call your local dentist today!

About Our Office

Here at Wayland Dental, we don’t just clean your teeth and gums. We work to keep your whole smile strong by even protecting your teeth when they need extra support, like with custom made nightguards. Learn more about how we can help you today!