If you grind your teeth at night, this could irritate your significant other, but also cause damage to your smile. Fortunately, your Allen, TX, dentist has a few tips for treating bruxism and even preventing further damage to your smile. Don’t let teeth grinding threaten your oral health, talk to our team today!
Why Do We Grind Our Teeth?
We all grind our teeth occasionally, but doing so on a near-nightly basis could mean serious damage to your smile. Known as bruxism, this disorder could be caused by issues that upset the balance of your bite, including tooth loss, misalignment, injury to the face or jaw, untreated TMJ disorder, and high levels of stress in your daily life. People with the disorder may become aware when their significant others let them know. Otherwise, common warning signs include headaches, migraines, jaw pain, popping or clicking in the jaw, or aches in the neck or shoulders. Tooth sensitivity and toothaches could also be a warning sign.
The Damage Caused By Bruxism
Over time, the pressure on your teeth could begin to crack or chip them, or wear teeth down. Not only will they appear shorter, but the damage could expose the sensitive inner tissues to harmful oral bacteria, which allows tooth decay and dental infection to develop. Over time, pain could worsen as you face the risk of adult tooth loss. However, with treatment you can avoid this. First, see us so we can examine your smile with advanced digital technology, identifying the wear and friction on your teeth caused by teeth grinding. At this point, we will create a personalized treatment plan to address the issue and bring relief.
Possible Solutions
We could help by correcting misalignment with orthodontics, or by improving bite balance with the placement or one or more dental crowns. However, the most common solution is an oral appliance. We take detailed digital impressions and images of your smile, which we use to design, fabricate, and custom-fit an oral appliance. Worn as you sleep, the device looks and fits like a mouthguard. The device actually repositions the jaw to prevent further imbalance. The protective layer the device places between the upper and lower sets of teeth could prevent chipped or cracked teeth too.
If you have any questions about how to treat bruxism, then contact our team today to learn more. We’re ready to help restore comfort and beauty to your smile again.
Talk To Your Allen, TX Dentist About General Dentistry
Our team is ready to help you find a solution to your bruxism. To find out more about possible solutions for chronic teeth grinding or issues like TMJ disorder, then contact your Allen, TX, dentist, Dr. Torrens-Parker, by calling 469-342-6644.
