Grinding Your Teeth At Night Can Lead To Dental Damage

grinding your teeth at night can lead to dental damageWhen you wake up in the morning, you should feel refreshed. If you are dealing with bruxism, you may be more likely to wake up feeling pain. People with bruxism tend to grind their teeth while they sleep, which means potentially awakening to soreness in their teeth, face, and jaw. While this can be enough of a problem on its own to motivate people to seek treatment for bruxism, you should know that grinding your teeth can do real dental damage. Bruxism is commonly associated with problems with your temporomandibular joints (more commonly known as TMJs). Your dentist can help manage TMJ problems, and bring your teeth grinding under control.

Taking Care Of Existing Dental Damage

Existing dental damage from grinding your teeth may call for a dental crown. The crown can protect a vulnerable tooth that is too damaged to function well enough, and hide unsightly signs of harm. Not every damaged tooth will need this level of protection, though. You may be able to hide damage with a cosmetic dental treatment. You can come away with a better-looking tooth in one visit by opting for dental bonding.

Talk To Your Dentist If You Are Worried About A Problem Like Bruxism

If you suspect you have bruxism, you should seek treatment through your dentist. It could be related to TMJ troubles, which can cause you pain, along with making it harder to operate your jaw. In some cases, an oral appliance can be offered to you, which will help keep your jaw positioned better, to avoid stress on the joints. Jaw strengthening exercises and stress management techniques can also help.