Teeth Grinding in Hurlstone Park
Bruxism Solutions at Your Smile Centre
Did you know one in every six people suffer from teeth grinding? When someone grinds or clenches their teeth, we refer to that habit as “bruxism.” At Your Smile Centre, our experienced Hurlstone Park family dentists thoroughly screen for signs of bruxism as it may be indicative of an underlying airway problem.
Dangers of Bruxism
If you grind your teeth at nights and leave the issue untreated, it can lead to more serious health concerns. These include:
- Jaw pain
- Migraines and headaches
- Muscle tension in the face, neck and shoulders
- Difficulty eating
- Broken, chipped or weak teeth
- TMJ disorder
Bruxism in Young Children
Bruxism in children may be associated with airway problem or sleep apnoea. You might notice grinding noises when your child sleeps. If your son or daughter wakes up tired, suffers from frequent nightmares or tends to sleep with their mouth open, we may recommend sending him or her to an ENT for an evaluation. Sometimes the solution is as simple as taking a nose spray, while other children need a tonsillectomy.
A study for sleep apnoea may also be recommended, but habitual teeth grinding in children is usually something that they grow out of.
Teeth-grinding Habits in Adults
Adults who clench and grind their teeth often do so because of chronic stress, airway narrowing or a sleeping disorder. If a stressful lifestyle isn’t suspected, a sleep study will likely be recommended. After the appropriate diagnosis, we may recommend wearing a protective splint to guard against your teeth becoming cracked or worn. The splint takes pressure off of the teeth to prevent breakage, while also reducing strain to the TMJ.
Your Solution to Bruxism
Teeth grinding is a common issue which is typically due to the muscle contraction that results from stress and bad habits. These muscle contractions are not easy to reverse but with our comprehensive solutions, you will sleep comfortably again in no time. Some of the most common bruxism treatments include:
Bite splints or nightguards - This simple, oral appliance is one of the most popular treatments for bruxism. It gentle moves your jaw forward so that while you rest, you can breathe comfortable and your muscles are not tense. You can have your splint or nightguard custom made here in our practice. It looks much like a sports mouthguard just functions differently.
Botox
Neuromuscular therapy- This is a unique treatment that changes how your bite sits so it’s more comfortably aligned and doesn’t limit your airway function.
Muscle relaxants - This may help in the short term to relax your facial muscles and jaw to relax at nights. Muscle relaxants are a prescribed medicine and may not be suitable for everyone.
Massage and physical therapy - Regular massage can also assist in relaxing your muscles that are overactive or contracting irregularly. If you don’t have a preferred massage therapist, we can refer you out.
Sleep apnoea treatment – If your teeth grinding is occurring due to sleep apnoea disorder, we will arrange to have a sleep study performed. From there, we will treat your condition accordingly so you can have a restful night sleep again.
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