How to stop grinding your teeth

5 Reasons to Stop Grinding Your Teeth

Are you grinding your teeth and not aware of it?  Most people are not aware of this habit.

Naturally, the upper and lower jaws should be slightly apart, and teeth are in contact only when we chew food.

Due to increased stress, teeth grinding or clenching is a common and destructive problem.

Symptoms of teeth grinding are:

      1- Head, neck, and jaw pain 

          Tension or migraine headache, or neck and shoulder pain in the morning is an indication that you grind your teeth during your sleep.

      2- Worn teeth 

          The teeth look flat on top the edges and may have grooves and indentations.  Also, the front teeth may look shorter due excessive wear from grinding.

      3- Receding gum 

           Due to abnormal and excessive grinding forces on the teeth, the gum will start to recede exposing more of the teeth roots, which in turn lead to teeth sensitivity to cold.

      4- Tooth abreaction (chipping) 

           Abreaction is the wearing away of enamel near the gum line that causes the teeth to be more vulnerable to cavity, weaken the teeth and causes them to break and to fracture.

      5- Crack and fracture lines

Hidden or noticeable crack lines on the teeth especially the front teeth. In many causes fracture lines leads to actual fractures that leads to breakage or loss of the teeth.

What causes teeth grinding?

1- Stress is the major and most common cause.

2- Pain is another cause, grinding teeth is a side effect of having pain.

3- An uneven bite, when the teeth are in imbalanced relationship, crocked, or crowded.

Treatment

When you clench your teeth during the day, it is easier to stop when you catch yourself and be aware of it. Chewing sugar free gum maybe helpful.

But if you grind your teeth while asleep; custom night guard made by your dentist is the proper treatment.

Talk to your dentist if you have any of these symptoms or signs, it is easier to treat a dental condition at earlier stage before it becomes a major problem.

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