Have you ever noticed yourself sitting there in the middle of a mundane, or even a tense moment, with your jaw clenched tight? Grinding and clenching your teeth is called bruxism, and it can be dangerous to the health of your teeth. If you have noticed that you tend to do this, you need to find out how much harm it could be causing, and stop as soon as possible. The longevity of your teeth could depend on it.
Why Do Some People Grind or Clench Their Teeth?
People that are aware that they are clenching or grinding their teeth often do it to put aside some type of stress or anxiety from a situation they are going through. However, most people are completely unaware that they do this until there is a problem. This is because the most common time to grind or clench the teeth is during sleep. If you have started waking up to sore teeth or a sore jaw, talk to us about it at your next appointment.
The Damage That Accompanies Bruxism
Teeth get ground down relatively quickly when you grind your teeth, especially when it is happening at a time that you cannot control. Clenching your teeth can also cause your teeth to crack from the pressure of your jaw, pushing down on them all the time. It can cause your teeth to become weaker, and even lead to losing teeth if they get too broken to repair. If you are diagnosed with bruxism, we will likely prescribe some type of a guard to be placed in the mouth while you sleep, or during times where you are knowingly clenching your teeth. It can help protect your teeth, and give you the spacing between your teeth to ideally stop you from doing anything that will harm your teeth at all.
Let us know if you are struggling with problems that stem from either grinding or clenching your teeth. We can help decide what the best method is going to be when it comes to keeping your teeth strong and healthy despite your bruxism.
