Teeth grinding is a condition known formally as bruxism. However you decide to name it, it means you clench or grind your teeth frequently as a movement disorder related to sleep. Doing this often might lead to ongoing headaches and damaged teeth. In many cases, the warning signs go unnoticed. However, routine dental care from dentists can identify and address the condition along with supply you with items and medications that will help.
How Teeth Grinding Can Impact Your Sleep
Grinding your teeth can impact your sleep in many different ways. For starters, you might wind up with headaches that are similar to migraines. Secondly, nighttime teeth grinders often have co-occurring sleep disorders; sleep apnea and snoring are two primary examples. Jaw pain resulting from teeth grinding can make it hard to get to sleep or stay that way. You might also wake up frequently without evident reasons why. Bruxism also has an association with increased nightmares which can obviously affect your overall performance in life.
The Primary Causes of Teeth Grinding
The causes behind bruxism aren’t always clear, and the medical community suspects that a range of genetic, psychological, and physical factors may all come into play. Daytime bruxism might happen as a coping mechanism or an abundance of stress and anxiety. Sleep teeth grinding could be a chewing activity related to nighttime arousal. What is very problematic of this is once it starts and becomes a routine most likely you will not stop unless something is done. Logically, you also will be asleep when doing it so you will not even know it is happening.
The most common sources of teeth grinding are anxiety and stress. Sleep apnea and snoring are also leading causes. Other potential stimuli include cocaine, ecstasy, caffeine, alcohol, and smoking. Some medications, such as SSRIs, are also possible sources of bruxism. Then there are some instances where it just happens randomly. No matter the reason behind it though there are solutions to combat it.
Risk factors include irregular sleep patterns. Genetic patterns often play a part so if something is found you may want to talk to and notify your family. Approximately half of all sleep bruxism patients have close relatives who also have a history of the condition.
How Fixing Teeth Grinding Can Improve Your Health
When you first find out that you have bruxism, it might not seem like it’s something serious. However, you can lose sleep quality and tooth enamel, and you might suffer chronic pain in your jaw, ears, and ace. In time, you might have cavities, tooth decay, broken or chipped teeth, or even lost teeth. Treating the condition helps you feel better at night, and you can preserve the smile you radiate to the world during the day. That boosts or maintains your self-esteem and a lot of your sociability which correlates to your moral in functioning life.
Bruxism doesn’t just hurt natural teeth. It can also damage implants, fillings, and crowns you might have installed. Treating the condition now maintains your oral health and helps you keep your ability to chew food properly. Bruxism doesn’t always have severe effects for everyone; it depends on your diet, how your teeth are aligned, and how severe the grinding is. However, over time it will definitely deteriorate your oral health to some extent, so just be cautious if experiencing this and make sure to contact a dentist.
Answers Are Available
Night guards are available to manage teeth grinding; some are available over the counter, but the better ones are prescription creations through your dentist. On your own, you can reduce stress in your life and keep your evenings free of alcohol, nicotine, and stress. Talk to your sleep partner if you have one about unusual sounds you make through the night as there are machines that can help with this issue. Consult your doctor about seeing a sleep specialist if you have trouble resting enough every night along with consider other health factors like sleep apnea and what not.
