Many people unknowingly Grind their Teeth while asleep at night. It can be for many reasons, including stress, anxiety, bad dreams, etc. If you grind your teeth, it should be addressed with a professional dentist, as it can lead to serious oral health problems in the future. One problem with determining if you grind your teeth during sleep is that you may not even know you do it if you don’t wake yourself up from the sound of a clenched jaw scraping teeth together. For this reason, seeing your dentist regularly can detect issues like this before they become seriously problematic and create a game plan to alleviate them.

Bruxism Can Ruin Teeth and Recede Gums

Bruxism is a condition in which you gnash, clench, and grind your teeth to the point where it is a condition. If you do it enough to be diagnosed, it is called Bruxism and is often caused by stress factors and anxiety accumulated from our daily lives.

Awake Bruxism is when you clench and grind your teeth. Sleep bruxism is medically considered a sleep-related movement disorder. It can be addressed with a sleep pathologist or therapist in terms of counseling to uncover and address Bruxism’s source. But on the dental side, there are also standard treatment plans to prevent permanent tooth, gum, and jaw damage while the condition persists.

Symptoms of Bruxism

There are many signs of Bruxism and some that are less easily noticed by patients, so be sure you’re seeing your dentist regularly.

• Sleep disruption
• Facial pain, headaches (especially in the morning)
• Painful and loosened teeth
• Tooth Loss
• Sore jaw bones and muscles
• Teeth fractures and dulled teeth
• Pain while chewing and locked jaw

There are others, and they are the same whether you experience awake Bruxism or sleep bruxism.

How Do You Treat Bruxism?

Since much of teeth grinding is emotional and stress-related for most people, the first course of action is addressing the source of the pain and anxiety where possible. This can come in the form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), an exercise regimen, meditation + mindfulness, physical therapy, and more. Try to reduce your stress in several ways, and this can help.

Other ways to prevent Bruxism:

• Reduce or cessation of smoking & drinking alcohol
• Reduce your caffeine intake
• Be conscious of daytime teeth grinding. If it happens, try to consciously stop, meditate for 5-10 minutes, or do some exercise
• Do not chew on inedible objects like pens.
• Reduce chewing gum use

For sleep bruxism, wearing a dental guard when you sleep is the most helpful solution to prevent grinding your teeth while asleep.

Get to Your Dentist Regularly

The patient can’t feel or see many warning signs associated with teeth grinding. If the case is mild or just starting, only your dentist can notice new wear and tear on your teeth from your last checkup. So be sure you regularly see your favorite South Brooklyn NY Dentist to prevent further problems.

The post What Can I Do If I Grind My Teeth While Sleeping? appeared first on Coney Island Dental.