Did you know that approximately 10% to 15% of adults suffer from painful bruxism while they sleep? Bruxism is a condition characterized by excessive involuntary clenching and grinding of the teeth while asleep. The condition is caused by stress, sleep conditions, and other factors.
If you suffer from bruxism, you probably know how it can greatly compromise your quality of sleep and life during waking hours. Below, we’ll highlight a couple of ways to stop grinding your teeth while you sleep.
Night Guards are one of the most effective treatments against teeth grinding and clenching at night. These nightguards resemble mouthpieces worn by football players to protect their patients from injuries. Patients wear them over their teeth, creating a barrier that minimizes damage from grinding.
Some mouthguards also keep the jaw slightly open so the chewing muscles can relax, preventing any form of grinding. Your Bellflower dentist will take impressions of your top and bottom teeth and send them to a lab to create your nightguards.
Snoring aids in Bellflower work in a similar way to some types of nightguards. All you have to do is wear them at night while you sleep. Not only do they stop you from snoring, but they also relax the muscles responsible for chewing, thus preventing bruxism.
As mentioned earlier, stress is one of the leading causes of bruxism in adults. Most people grind their teeth as an involuntary reaction to stressful situations. By adopting stress management techniques, you could cut out or reduce the stress leading to your nighttime teeth grinding. Some of the best stress management techniques include meditation, exercising in the evening, yoga, and talking to your loved ones. You could also try seeing a psychiatrist and see if it helps.
If everything else fails, you can try taking medication as a last resort. Some of the common medications for bruxism include muscle relaxants that the dentist will prescribe for you to take before you go to sleep. You can also get Botox injections in the chewing muscles to keep them from relaxing. Medication that eases stress and anxiety also helps.
Grinding your teeth at night comes naturally, and it’s not your fault it happens. Thankfully, you can adopt the following measures to mitigate or stop the bruxism once and for all. If symptoms persist, you may want to consider surgical intervention at your dentist's recommendation.
Are you tired of having your sleep disrupted and migraines due to bruxism? If so, contact Cedar Smiles Dentistry and we'll determine the best remedy for your nighttime teeth grinding.