How to Stop Grinding Teeth

Bruxism, or Teeth Grinding can be mild or serious. The treatment of bruxism or teeth grinding varies depending on its cause. Here are some of the common causes and the treatments to stop teeth grinding under such circumstances.

• Stress – Stress is one of the common causes that lead to teeth grinding or bruxism. If your problem is also stress-related then it is advisable that you contact your dentist or physician. He may recommend psychotherapy, professional counseling, biofeedback exercises or other strategies to help you de-stress and relax. Your physician also may prescribe some muscle relaxant medications to ease the spasm in your clenched and overworked jaw temporarily. If the conventional therapy does not help then your dentist may refer you to an oral surgeon who may inject botulinum toxin directly into your jaw muscles to temporaraily relieve you of the problem.
• Neuromuscular Illness or Brain Injury – Bruxism may be especially hard to treat if you have a brain injury or any kind of neuromuscular illness. At the most, your oral surgeon may give you injections of botulinum toxin if more conservative treatments fail.
• Dental Problems – Many times bruxism is caused due to dental problems. Under such circumstances, your dentist may treat it with occlusal therapy. In case of severe dental disorder, your dentist may need to use onlays or crowns to completely reshape the biting surfaces of your teeth.
• Medication - In case you develop teeth grinding problem as a side effect of antidepressant medications then consult your doctor. You can either switch to a different drug or use another medication to counteract your bruxism.

So don’t despair – If you suffer from bruxism, start looking for a treatment now!

Do you know? Many people grind, gnash or clench your teeth when they are angry or anxious, and affects a large percentage of people. In medical science, this symptom is known as Bruxism, and is a condition that can affect both children and adults. Some people consciously grind or clench their teeth when angry or tensed while there are some who do it unconsciously.

Bruxism is a night condition that’s actually different from the teeth grinding or clenching that occurs at day time. It is the term given to specifically denote the grinding of teeth at night. Most of the children and adult who suffer from this disease do this at night, however there are cases where there are daytime bruxers.

Bruxism or teeth grinding may be mild in many people and may not even require treatment. However, at times it can be serious and lead to various complications. Some of the common complications caused due to teeth grinding are:

• Jaw disorders
• Headaches
• Damaged teeth and other dental problems

It is therefore very important to stop the habit of teeth grinding at all costs. Unfortunately, those people who have sleep bruxism or teeth grinding disorder during sleep usually aren’t aware of this habit. Thus it is difficult to treat with their condition until complications occur or they come to know of it.

It is thus, important to know the signs and symptoms of bruxism and to seek regular dental care. Prevention and care can help you fight this disease. So, fight and stop grinding teeth in the initial stage before any complications occur.

If you grind or clench your teeth during night, you are affected by a condition known as bruxism, a pathology due to stress. This teeth grinding problem can cause wearing out of the teeth!

Teeth grinding, also called bruxism, affects 15 – 20 % of the population. Two types of bruxism exist, and take place during our sleep. The first type is known as Centered bruxism – a motionless teeth clenching. This sort of reaction could lead sometimes to jaw muscles pains or stiffness when you wake.

The second type is Off-centered bruxism, which is more embarrassing, either for your bed partner or for the safety of your teeth : it is similar to chewing without any chewing-gum, that is teeth clenching with jaw displacements.

When you clench your jaws:

• The elevator muscles are contracted
• The teeth endure significant pressure

In case of bruxism, various symptoms could appear:

• A hypertrophy of your facial muscles is often observed expanding the way a bodybuilder’s muscles would when working out. This can cause a pain that can extend up to the skull, to the neck and even to the back. One feels tiredness when waking up and a somewhat difficulty to wide open one’s mouth
• Articulations of cracks, ledges, deviation and limitation of mouth opening
• Wear, cracks and vertical fractures on teeth, that could lead to tooth extraction
• Receding gums (support bone loss)
• Looseness of teeth

I don’t feel the least bit of uncomfort…

…and it’s such a welcome change!

This is my second week using the adjustable mouth guard that I bought from Amazon. Check out the reviews, it’s not just me, but many other people are loving this custom comfortable mouth guard, shown below. It goes for just $42, and it’s adjustable! This is probably the most comfortable mouth guard for relieving sleep bruxism.

It doesn’t keep me from worrying though. It seems like I’ll have to always wear a night mouth guard to sleep to mitigate the pain and discomfort of my teeth grinding problem. Well, I’m still looking for a cure for my bruxism condition, and until I find it, I guess there’s no choice but to wear my night teeth guard.

The SleepRight Night Mouth Guard is typically worn during the night, but can also be worn during daytime. Teeth grinding and teeth clenching can happen at any time including daytime, especially when you are busy working, or in a stressful status, when you are watching a film, or doing some sports or studying etc.

To fit the mouth guard, simply adjust both sides of the SleepRight Night Mouth Guard according to your dental morphology and chose one of the four setting positions. That’s the benefit of an adjustable mouth guard!

Remember that the thermal strip must be correctly positioned according to your lower incisors, to your gum and to your lower lip. Do make sure that the adjustment must be the same on both sides. It is prohibited for children below 14 years old to wear SleepRight.

You might also be pleased to know that SleepRight Night Mouth Guards comes in 3 types. SleepRight Advance is recommended for a standard or a big mouth. SleepRight Advance is harder, more stable and more comfortable as it is designed for long term usage.

SleepRight Standard is recommended for standard mouths and a mid-extended bruxism. SleepRight Low-profile is recommended for small mouths, a mid-extended bruxism, and is designed to be worn during daytime and / or for sensitive gums.

As a bruxor myself, I highly recommend the use of a night mouth guard, because the damage to your teeth otherwise would be disastrous. The advantages or benefits of using a night mouth guard such as the SleepRight Night Mouth Guuard:

1. A mouthpiece adjusted to fit your own mouth
2. Easily fitted into your mouth and worn daily
3. Protects your teeth from damage caused by teeth grinding and teeth clenching
4. Best quality / price ratio when compared to professional night mouthpieces sold by dentists
5. Can be worn during non combat-sports like golf, tennis, cycling, walking, archery, etc
6. Latex-free

SleepRight Night Mouth Guuard has been designed by a dental technology specialist and is worn all over the world by thousand people affected by bruxism or teeth grinding.

Most night teeth guards will do what they advertise — protect your teeth. However, to protect teeth from clenching and grinding is one thing — breaking a bad neuromuscular habit to control teeth clenching and teeth grinding is entirely another.

You will also need to learn to develop a new approach to prevent bruxism and stop it totally. One way is by conditioning yourself. A suggestion is to wear the SleepRight Night Guard 30-60 minutes before sleep. Keep your “lips together and teeth apart” while in our conscious state of mind, never allowing the teeth to bite down on the bitepads.

This will increase your natural awareness of the habit to clench and grind your teeth. Conscious awareness of “lips together, teeth apart” is necessary for the brain to make the appropriate changes to relax while you sleep.

The SleepRight Night Guard bitepads will establish the space that should exist naturally between your teeth when you are relaxed. Do not bite down on the bitepads — this is very important, so your concentration will be tested.

The SleepRight Night Guard does not attach to the teeth. The soft strap and learning to control the muscles of the mouth will keep the appliance in place. If you find evidence of teeth clenching and teeth grinding on the bitepads, then it means that you must double your efforts and concentrate on the “lips together, teeth apart” state of mind.

The human brain does not distinguish between good and bad learning — it just learns. You must repeat the desirable model of “lips together, teeth apart” until it is a healthy habit, no longer needing your conscious supervision. Your ultimate goal is to eliminate the dependency on a night guard as soon as possible. Everyone’s learning curve is different, so do be patient.

I was watching a documentary on karate when it hit on me that I could use mouth guards that they use in sports to control my condition and prevent the damage that bruxism was causing. If anything, the softer rubber was definitely a better alternative than to have teeth grinding upon teeth. So the very next day I went to a nearby sports shop and got a sports mouth guard
that cost $20 — which is $380 less than the mouth guard that my dentist recommended.

The instructions were pretty easy, basically you have to boil it to soften the rubber, then put it into your mouth to mold it into shape for the very first time. And there you go, your very own custom mouth guard! Problem is, it’s not the most comfortable thing in the world to have in your mouth all night long because it’s rather big and you do notice it in your mouth. But for that price, I’m willing to bear the uncomfort.

Edit: It was only later that I found that I should have just ordered online, because Amazon sells two mouth guards that come very well-recommended! Here they are:

Amazon sells a custom mouth guard SPECIALLY for bruxism, shown above. It goes for just $42, and it’s adjustable! This is probably the most comfortable mouth guard for relieving sleep bruxism.

The other mouth guard that I found on Amazon is even cheaper than the one that I bought, and is more comfortable, and performs exactly as advertised!

These mouth guards definitely seem much better than the custom mouth guards that dentists make, since they don’t even have the worrisome off-taste of a new acrylic appliance, and are so affordable that I could wear them out frequently, but even that hasn’t happened yet!

My constant night-time grinding of my teeth occasionally annoys me so much that I hop on the Internet to see what I can find about it. Today I did just that, and I discovered something horrific about the long term effects of bruxism. Apparently the incessant grinding of your teeth is so destructive that over the long term, the teeth would be worn down so much so that you’ll soon have your bare jaws touching each other.

The problem with sleep bruxism though, is that it’s just like snoring — oftentimes, you won’t know that you’re doing it. So watch out for dull headaches or sore jaws on waking. Look out also, for flat canine teeth. Your canines are designed to guide tooth movement, with well-defined incisal edges steering the teeth apart. The excessive force associated with bruxing, however, can create distinctively flat canines.

Molars can also bear the brunt of bruxing. The destructive force generated by grinding can wear molar tips down. In some cases, the loss of tooth enamel and dentin can be even more noticeable than that associated with severe decay.

So watch out for any broken or cracked teeth. They can be a source of pain of patients and often require lengthy and costly restoration, such as through corrective cosmetic dentistry. And even if you undergo solid cosmetic dentistry, your bruxing will break down these cosmetic changes if left untreated, because people who had grinding habits before extensive dental care are likely to continue to grind once treatment has completed. So early detection can save you tonnes of money, help to safeguard any future dental restorations, not to mention your overall dental health.

Today I spent the entire day with a newfound habit — one that is truly annoying. I kept running my tongue over my teeth, because my teeth actually felt sore. I wondered if teeth could feel sore, and then I realised that it really felt like something had been filing them down. When my upper and lower teeth touched, there was this sensation of rawness, and it got so uncomfortable that I flattened my tongue and bit on it, just so that it would form a sort of cushion between my upper and lower teeth.