Chronic teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, could lead to pain in your teeth and face. You even risk the onset of complications like tooth decay and infection. But with general dentistry, your Ankeny, IA, dentist can offer a comfortable and effective treatment for bruxism.
The Causes and Risks of Teeth Grinding
What causes a person to grind his or her teeth on a regular basis at night? For some, this is due to high levels of stress in your daily life. For others, changes to bite balance could be a factor, such as tooth loss, injury to the face or jaw, misalignment, or issues with the growth of the jaw or the eruption of the teeth. Without treatment, the disorder could wear down enamel and even crack or chop teeth. They could appear short, and you could run the risk of tooth decay and dental infection, treating smile stability. Which is why when you encounter warning signs, you should see us right away.
Diagnosing Your Bruxism
People with bruxism may experience soreness in the face or jaw, tooth sensitivity or toothaches, headaches and migraines, and aches in the neck and shoulders. Your significant other could also tell you about your teeth grinding episodes. Our team will carefully examine your smile, assessing the wear and friction on your teeth to identify the presence of bruxism. We can then plan treatment to bring relief. For some, this could include replacing missing teeth, correcting misalignment with orthodontics, or using crowns or bonding or improving bite balance. But for many, we offer relief with a comfortable and noninvasive oral appliance.
Treatment with a Custom Oral Appliance
The oral appliance will look like a mouthguard and fit like one. But this device has actually been custom-made for your smile based on detailed digital images and measurements we take of your bite. When worn at night, this will actually reposition your jaw to ease stress and pressure on your jaw joints. The appliance then places a soft barrier between the upper and lower jaw to prevent further damage to the teeth. You’ll find the oral appliance is easy to use and clean, and it can travel with you too!
If you have any questions about how our team will diagnose and treat issues like bruxism, or if you want to try an oral appliance, then contact our team today to learn more.
Dental Impressions Offers General Dental Care
Our team is ready to help you avoid the damage and pain of teeth grinding and clenching. To learn more about treatments with general dentistry and how we can help protect your smile from further damage, then call Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA today at (515) 965-0230.
