One of the reasons we find that patients often have a laid-back approach to scheduling dental care when something has just started to go wrong? They don’t recognize that very early, often mild beginnings of oral health problems can lead to extremely severe ends! As a result, our Ankeny, IA team likes to keep you informed by highlighting the connection between common, completely treatable concerns like bruxism disorder and the long-term, associated damage. In this case? Bruxism can eventually lead to tooth loss. Learn more, so it doesn’t have to happen to you!
A Rundown: Daily Bruxism
First, let’s review what happens when you have bruxism disorder, in case this is new to you or you’re a bit rusty in regard to functional disorders! Remember that bruxism is what happens when your muscles in your mouth and jaw area are not still at rest but instead, they shoot off over and over. This will cause you to grind or clench your teeth (or both). You will probably not realize that it’s happening, which makes it an involuntary yet chronic issue.
Short-Term Damage
When you spend just a moment reflecting on the idea of your chewing reflex firing off, as you grind or clench your teeth throughout the day or throughout sleep (sometimes, it affects patients during this time), then you can quickly imagine the type of immediate damage that may occur. If you’re scraping teeth over one another, erosion is likely. If you’re pressing them against one another, fractures are likely.
Ignoring The Problem
The good news is that there is bruxism disorder treatment available to you that’s very simple and highly effective! A protective mouthguard will provide a cushion that prevents damage and the guard will help limit movement. However, we remind you that if you completely ignore this mode of treatment, the aforementioned introductory damage will continue. Over time, it will progressively become worse, with mild erosion becoming severe and fractures becoming deeper cracks and broken teeth.
Arriving At Tooth Loss
When damage from bruxism disorder goes on for too long, it can lead to tooth loss. How is this possible, you ask? Well, teeth that are too broken for crowns or too deeply cracked may need to be removed. The fortunate side of things is that you can replace teeth with prosthetics like dental implants and restorations. However, remember that when you keep up with preventive dental care and receive treatment, you can avoid such damage!
Treat Bruxism By Visiting Our Practice
Let our practice know if you are experiencing possible signs of bruxism or if something is wrong with your smile that you cannot identify. Seek and begin bruxism treatment with us early to avoid serious damage! Visit us for a dental checkup in Ankeny, IA by contacting Dental Impressions to schedule a visit at (515) 965-0230.
