TEETH GRINDING (BRUXISM) TREATMENT IN MISSISSAUGA

“You May Not Know You Have Bruxism”

DO YOU GRIND OR CLENCH YOUR TEETH?

If you slide your teeth back and forth over each other, you grind your teeth.

If you tightly hold your top and bottom teeth together, you clench your teeth.

You may be grinding or clenching your teeth. This habit is called bruxism. You may not know this because it can happen while you are sleeping or while you are awake. You may wake up with a loud grinding or grating sound (sometimes loud enough for others to hear it) or with no teeth grinding sound at all.

DO I HAVE BRUXISM?

If you have one or more of the following symptoms, you may have bruxism:

Jaw clicking

Sore jaw or temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

Worn or cracked teeth or fillings

Markings from pressing your teeth into your tongue

Facial pain

Frequent toothaches

Headache

Sensitive teeth

Trouble sleeping

Why you grind or clench your teeth may not be known for sure – among other things, stress and trouble sleeping may play a role in bruxism. If your child clenches or grinds his/her teeth while sleeping, he/she is more likely to have other sleep-related issues, like snoring.

DON'T LEAVE BRUXISM UNTREATED, YOU MAY NEED A NIGHTGUARD

If you don’t get your bruxism treated, it can cause future problems such as:

Tooth wear

Jaw pain

Fractured teeth

Headaches

If you have any of the symptoms of bruxism, talk to your dentist at Dunwin Dental. She will examine your mouth for unusual wear spots on your teeth, look at any related symptoms and recommend a treatment, if needed, such as:

wearing a nightguard during sleep to prevent further damage to your teeth

ways to lower stress

medication for pain or muscle spasms

exercises to relax jaw muscles

fillings or other dental treatment to repair damaged teeth

refer you to a sleep medicine physician for an evaluation

Your dentist can help you manage bruxism and the related symptoms. She can also find damage caused by bruxism in early stages during your regular dental checkups.

Custom made nightguards help position your jaw in the best position, relieve you of headaches and help relax jaw muscles. Do not wear over-the-counter nightguards because they can make your jaw joint worse.

You can reach Dunwin Dental by: