Teeth grinding is a habit that adults can suffer from throughout their life. It’s a habit that directly affects your oral health and well-being. As the grinding continues it can wear down your teeth and cause massive health issues that are expensive to repair. The best way to avoid this is to look for the signs of teeth grinding before it’s too late. There’s also a simple solution to preventing teeth grinding that has been a proven preventative measure.
Stress and anxiety are large factors when it comes to grinding your teeth at night. As you sleep, your body will subconsciously release the stress that it gathered or endured throughout the day. If you have a stressful job, or relationship, go to school or have personal issues that are on your mind, your body may release that stress in various ways while you sleep.
One of the most common ways your body releases stress is through the clenching of your jaw or the grinding of your teeth. When you clench your jaw muscles throughout the night, they become overworked and fatigued. Muscles that are fatigued can become inflamed, irritated, and sore. Teeth grinding focuses more on the actual teeth in the mouth. When teeth have constant pressure on them and continue to grind during the night, the teeth can become chipped, cracked, or worn down. This will result in an immediate need to see a dentist and have your teeth repaired or risk losing the damaged teeth.
As mentioned, teeth grinding can lead to a costly fix. Wearing a night guard can prevent the damage done from teeth grinding and clenching but let’s look at the symptoms first. If you recognize the symptoms you have a better chance of avoiding serious oral health issues.
Waking up with daily morning headaches is one of the biggest signs of teeth grinding. As mentioned your jaw muscles will become sore and stressed from overstimulation. This stress may move into your head causing a headache when you wake up. If you are suffering from morning headaches on a regular basis, it may be from teeth grinding.
As you grind your teeth the nerves of them may become exposed over time. The process of grinding your teeth erodes the surface of your teeth and can potentially crack or chip them. When this happens your nerves become exposed which results in extra sensitivity to hot or cold foods and liquids. If you are having problems drinking hot or cold liquids your teeth may have exposed nerves from teeth grinding. When this happens it’s best to visit a dentist to see if you need your teeth repaired.
One of the biggest red flags when it comes to teeth grinding is audible “clicks” or “pops” coming from your mouth while you sleep. If you have a partner, have them listen closely while you sleep. They will be able to hear the sounds of teeth grinding. Sometimes, these sounds invade your dreams. If you are dreaming and hearing clicking or popping noises, these sounds may be loud enough to affect your dreams. Have your partner listen with all electronics shut off in the bedroom including the television, music systems, and fans. This will give your partner a clear chance to hear the popping or clicking that is associated with teeth grinding.
People that grind their teeth or clench their jaws may visit the dentist to see what their next step is. The dentist will likely suggest an occlusal guard or a custom night guard to help prevent teeth grinding. These oral devices fit comfortably over your teeth as you sleep at night. Night guards are crafted for a custom fit, meaning they will only fight your teeth and no one else. With the custom fit comes extreme comfort. Over-the-counter night guards or ones bought at stores are bulky and can occasionally block airways creating a snoring effect for the wearer. When a night guard is custom, protection is maximized while comfort is prioritized.
Dentists will offer to craft a custom night guard but they can be quite pricey. There are online dental labs like SportingSmiles that offer the premium quality of custom night guards but at half the cost of the dentist. When ordering online, you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home and the entire impression process is done with a patented impression kit from SportingSmiles.
If you suspect that you’re grinding your teeth at night or showing any of the symptoms of grinding or clenching, consult with your dentist and order an online night guard to protect yourself from further damage. You’ll sleep peacefully and wake up without the morning headaches.