How Do Dentists Fix Bruxism?

If you often awaken with a sore jaw or painful teeth, you might grind your teeth unconsciously during sleep. Also known as bruxism, teeth grinding or clenching is one of the most damaging habits to your teeth. Besides wearing down your teeth enamel, bruxism can cause headaches, tooth fractures, jaw pain, and TMJ.

Factors like an improper bite, sleep apnea, certain drugs, and stress can cause bruxism. Fortunately, your dentist can diagnose your condition and design a personalized treatment plan to solve it. This guide highlights the various ways dentists can use to fix bruxism.

Understanding the Symptoms of Bruxism

Before we get to how we treat bruxism, below are common signs of symptoms of teeth grinding that you should look out for:

• Teeth grinding and clenching, often reported by another person
• Flattened, chipped, fractured, or worn down teeth
• Tooth sensitivity and pain
• Locked jaw or tight or tired jaw muscles
• Pain in the jaw, neck, shoulders, head, and face
• Pain or ringing in the ears
• Dull morning headaches
• TMJ disorders
• Sleep disruptions
• Injuries inside the cheeks

See your dentist if you have any of these symptoms. Early intervention will address the underlying cause and prevent further damage to your teeth and surrounding tissues.

Bruxism Treatment

Once you visit our dentist for bruxism treatment in Merrimack, NH, they will assess your dental and oral health to determine whether you have bruxism. They may also ask about any current symptoms, pre-existing health conditions and medication, and lifestyle habits like smoking to determine the cause of your condition. The dentist can recommend various tests like sleep study to diagnose bruxism.

Once the dentist has established that you have bruxism, they can recommend one or more of the following treatment options to address your condition:

• • Mouth guard

Wearing a mouth guard during sleep creates a barrier against the upper and lower teeth, reducing tooth damage and other symptoms associated with bruxism.

• • Bite alignments

If misaligned teeth or jaw are causing your bruxism, the dentist can use treatments like braces and Invisalign to align your bite correctly, reducing or preventing bruxism.

• • Stress management

Recent studies have linked stress to unconscious teeth grinding and clenching. Reducing or managing stress or depression can help reduce or prevent the act of teeth grinding. Common stress management techniques include yoga, meditation, and exercise.

• • Muscles relaxants

Muscle relaxants can help reduce tension and stress in the jaw muscles, preventing or reducing the severity of teeth grinding.

• • Botox injections

Botox injections in the jaw can help relax the muscles, reducing or preventing bruxism.

• • Dental restorations

If you’ve already experienced tooth damage from bruxism, the dentist can recommend the following dental restorations to improve your dental health:

• • Dental crowns: A crown is a custom-made dental cap placed over a worn down, decayed, or fractured tooth to improve its strength and protect it against further damage.
  • Dental veneers: A tooth veneer is a thin custom-made shell or coating that’s attached to the front of teeth to hide or repair the damage. Veneers can help repair chips and cracks caused by bruxism.
  • Bonding: Tooth bonding entails applying a tooth-colored resin to a tooth and molding it to repair tooth damage. Bonding can treat chips, cracks, and minor misalignments caused by bruxism.
  • Tooth extraction: If a tooth is severely damaged it can’t support a dental restoration, the dentist can recommend removing it. You can later replace the tooth with a bridge or implant.
  • Treating associated problems

If your bruxism is caused by sleep disorders, addressing these disorders can help reduce bruxism. If your bruxism is caused by taking some drugs, you can consult your doctor for a different prescription. If underlying medical conditions like GERD cause your bruxism, treating these conditions can improve bruxism.

Are you looking for Teeth Grinding Treatment in Merrimack, NH?

For more information about bruxism and available treatment options, contact Yelena Popkova, DDS – Merrimack, to book your consultation today.