April is Stress Awareness Month. Are you aware of how stress can affect your smile?
Do you grind your teeth? Perhaps you are someone who rises in the morning with an aching jaw, headache, or ear pain?
Teeth grinding – or bruxism – is caused by clenching your jaw, and often occurs in your sleep.
Born to Grind
Dentists have learned some people are prone to grinding. The habit can be triggered by many factors: Caffeine or alcohol consumption, stress, anxiety, and certain medications. The symptoms mentioned above - such as jaw and ear pain - are uncomfortable, and chronic grinding will damage your teeth. Bruxism is one of the most common, unintentional ways to ruin your teeth. The condition is so common that Dr. Lana Rozenberg, a New York City dentist, claims one in four of the patients in her practice have physical signs of bruxism.1
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Teeth grinding signs and symptoms:
- Jaw muscle pain and tenderness
- Difficulty opening and closing jaw
- Stiff neck and facial muscles
- Earache-like pain
- Temporal headaches
- Damage to inner cheeks
- Broken crowns
- Chipped or cracked teeth
- Excessively flattened teeth
- Worn tooth enamel
- Increased tooth sensitivity
If left untreated, chronic teeth grinding can lead to severe damage, such as extreme sensitivity and the inability to chew properly, and may require extensive (and expensive) treatment down the road.
If you notice these signs or suffer from these symptoms, check with your dentist to diagnosis the condition.
Guard Duty
Your dentist may recommend an occlusal guard – commonly called a night guard.
A night guard helps mitigate the damage clenching and grinding inflict. The appliance separates your teeth and helps evenly distribute bite pressure across your jaw.
The Right Guard
The best night guard for teeth grinding is one custom fit by your dentist. Our bite is nearly as unique as our fingerprints, and stock guards you find in stores or online don’t offer many size and shape options.
An ill-fitting night guard can cause discomfort and pose a challenge to keep in place, and will disturb your sleep and leave your mouth sore.
Several of our dental plans cover occlusal, or night, guards. If you need to give your teeth a rest, check your benefits and make an appointment to see your dentist today.
Sign into MySmile to review your coverage options.
1. The Best-Over-the-Counter Mouth Guards for Teeth Grinders, according to Dentists, The Strategist, 2018
