How to Stop Grinding Teeth: An Expert Guide Based on Research
By Dr Rajeev Singh +2 more
Medically reviewed by Dr Rajeev Singh
Last updated: Apr 24, 2024Click to rate this article!
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By Dr Rajeev Singh +2 more
Medically reviewed by Dr Rajeev Singh
Last updated: Apr 24, 2024Table of Contents
Teeth grinding is also known as bruxism. It’s a habit of grinding or clenching your teeth. Kids and adults alike face this issue. It can happen at any time of the day or night. If not managed, it can lead to problems. These include tooth damage, jaw pain, and joint issues.
In this article, we’ll delve into this problem. We will look at how doctors detect it. We’ll look at what causes it. Plus, we’ll learn how to manage it. We’ll talk about lifestyle changes that may help. We’ll find out what to expect from your dentist too. Lastly, we will answer some frequently asked questions regarding this topic.
Did you know?
In my opinion, seek out stress-reduction strategies to manage grinding. You may attempt at-home stress alleviation techniques in addition to talk therapy, such as taking a warm bath before bed and listening to calming music.
Dr. Siddharth Gupta, MD
Here we will discuss how your healthcare provider will diagnose it and what symptoms to keep an eye on.
Below is a list of signs of teeth grinding.
In my experience, people suffering from bruxism have a positive outlook. By adolescence, teeth grinding is frequently eliminated in children. Adults should heed the advice of their physician. For instance, wear your sleep guard on a daily basis if you grind your teeth. Following your treatment plan will help to reduce symptoms and enhance your overall well-being.
Dr. Rajeev Singh, BAMS
Here are the following ways in which the healthcare provider will make the diagnosis of teeth grinding.
A health expert will check for sore jaws. They’ll look for other signs of teeth grinding too, which is mentioned above. They may ask about your medical history. They may check your medicine, stress levels, and sleep quality.
During a dental exam, the dentist checks your teeth. They look for signs of tooth wear due to grinding. They might use tools like X-rays to look for bone damage or to check inside your cheeks.
If your grinding your teeth in your sleep, you may need to see a healthcare professional who is qualified to manage sleep disorders.
To manage teeth grinding, we need to know why it happens. Here we will discuss all the causes of teeth grinding.
The psychological state of the mind also plays a role. The top causes of teeth grinding are stress and anxiety. High stress can tense up the jaw muscles. This can trigger teeth grinding in the day or night.
People with sleep disorders like insomnia or sleep apnea tend to grind their teeth. Teeth grinding might even be a way to keep the airway open in people with obstructive sleep apnea.
Teeth grinding can also be due to physical issues like misaligned teeth, or side effects of medicine.
Misaligned, or crooked, teeth can result in discomfort and lead to teeth grinding. Corrective dental steps may help cut down on tooth grinding in such cases.
To my knowledge, medication is not available to stop teeth grinding. You might be fitted for a night guard by your dentist. Before going to bed, you place this personalised orthotic device in your mouth. It is believed to shield your jaw, muscles, and teeth from the force that grinding produces. Additionally, your doctor might advise you to take a muscle relaxant before bed.
Dr. Smita barode, BAMS
Some drugs, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can increase teeth grinding risk. If a drug causes bruxism, your doctor may consider changing your medication or prescribing a different one.
There’s no cure as such for teeth grinding. Management depends on the cause and the severity. The management options are discussed below.
A dentist might suggest these management options to protect your teeth. These may cut down the symptoms linked to teeth grinding.
Mouthguards and splints put a barrier between your top and bottom teeth. You can buy them ready-made or get custom ones from your dentist. Wearing them at night may avoid tooth damage and relax the jaw muscles.
If misaligned teeth cause teeth grinding, you might need dental correction. Procedures reshape the biting surface of your teeth. This may reduce teeth grinding.
In cases of severe tooth damage, you might need the chewing surface of your teeth reshaped. Dentists might use crowns to repair the damage. This may help control further problems due to teeth grinding.
Besides dental steps, these approaches may help. These are as follows.
Botox may reduce the pain and frequency of teeth grinding. Doctors inject it into the jaw muscle. This helps relax the masseter muscle that exerts pressure on the teeth when grinding.
2. Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a method that may help you control habits like teeth grinding. It works by teaching you to control your jaw muscle movement. This may reduce teeth grinding.
Soft workouts and rub-downs targeting the tongue and jaw muscles may relax the jaw. This may help cope with teeth grinding. Your healthcare provider would instruct you on these exercises.
Medicines don’t usually treat teeth grinding directly. However, some cases might improve with muscle relaxants, anxiety or antidepression drugs, or medicines used in sleep disorder.
Certain lifestyle changes and home remedies may help with teeth grinding. These may be helpful when stress causes the grinding.
Meditation, yoga, counseling, and exercise are all methods of dealing with stress. They may help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. This may lessen teeth grinding.
Meditation is about focusing your mind. It may help reduce thoughts that trigger stress or anxiety. Regular meditation may relax you and help curb teeth grinding.
Yoga combines poses, controlled breathing, and meditation that may help reduce stress and anxiety. This may help manage symptoms linked to teeth grinding.
Talking to a therapist may be a great way to deal with stress or any emotional issues that might cause teeth grinding.
Daily physical activity may help deal with stress-related teeth grinding. Exercise triggers the release of endorphins, feel-good hormones, which promote relaxation and possibly reduce teeth grinding episodes.
A good quality sleep may help manage sleep-related teeth grinding.
A consistent sleep schedule may improve sleep quality. This may reduce nocturnal teeth grinding.
Screens can disrupt your sleep cycle and increase stress. Reducing screen time before bed may lead to better sleep and fewer teeth grinding.
Managing any underlying conditions linked to teeth grinding might improve symptoms.
Dealing with sleep disorders like sleep apnea or insomnia might improve sleep-related teeth grinding. Management options include a CPAP machine, dental aids, or improving sleep hygiene.
Issues like anxiety and depression may cause teeth grinding. Dealing with these mental disorders with therapy or drugs might reduce on teeth grinding.
Also Read: What is Red Light Therapy? A Closer Look at its Research-Backed Applications
Knowing what will happen at your dental visit may help you deal with teeth grinding. You’ll learn how to discuss with your dentist about it.
Your dentist will check your teeth to see how bad the grinding is. They’ll look for the source of the issue too. They might also ask about your health in general. Other topics could be your medication, stress, and sleep quality.
Knowing what to ask your dentist may help a lot. It will give you a better idea of how to manage your teeth grinding. Here are some key questions that can be asked.
Your dentist may recommend suitable dental management options. They may refer you to other experts or give lifestyle tips based on their findings.
Teeth grinding is a common issue. It can cause discomfort in your mouth and other dental problems. But that’s not all. It can also harm your overall health. It’s important to understand why bruxism occurs and obtain proper medical advice to manage it.
With a complete and personalized approach, anyone dealing with teeth grinding may find relief. By combining dental options, non-dental methods, drugs, lifestyle changes, and home remedies, one may keep their oral health in check. Early intervention may stop long-term issues and improve life quality.
You may combine mouthguards and splints, non-dental methods like biofeedback and muscle exercises, lifestyle changes, and good sleep hygiene to possibly reduce grinding your teeth.
You might be stressed or anxious. You might have a sleep disorder. Misaligned teeth and certain medications may also cause you to grind your teeth.
Yes, damage due to teeth grinding may be fixed. Dental correction or fillings, crowns, and bridges may help, depending on how severe the damage is.
Teeth grinding may be a symptom of stress, anxiety, sleep disorders, physical issues like misaligned teeth, or medication side effects. Managing the root cause may help control teeth grinding.
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