Bruxism is a common oral health concern, one that could eventually wear down and damage your teeth. Which is why we want to treat your teeth grinding and clenching before your smile is injured. In today’s blog, your Ankeny, IA, dentist talks about how we diagnose and treat teeth grinding with a custom oral appliance!
The Causes of Your Chronic Teeth Grinding
For many, teeth grinding can occur in childhood or adulthood, and pass on its own after a short time. However, persistent bruxism that happens on a nightly basis is not normal and could actually wear down and damage teeth. The injury not only alters the appearance of your smile, but could leave you vulnerable to issues like tooth decay and dental infection.
Bruxism could be caused by a high level of stress in your daily life. The presence of TMJ disorder, an issue related to clicking or popping in your jaw, could also be responsible. If you have issues that upset bite balance, these could be responsible. These concerns may include missing teeth, injury to the face or jaw, wisdom tooth eruption, misalignment, or issues with the growth of the jaw.
The Impact of Bruxism
The pressure from grinding and clenching on a regular basis could wear down teeth so they appear shorter than usual. This damage to the enamel could also cause chipped teeth and fractures that increases the risk of tooth decay and infection. You could also experience painful symptoms, such as headaches, migraines, jaw and facial pain, neck and shoulder discomfort, or toothache and regular tooth sensitivity when you eat or drink. Don’t ignore persistent pain in and around your smile, let us know right away so we can plan treatment and provide relief!
Treatment and Repair
For many, we could gather detailed digital images and measurements of the teeth and use this to design and craft an oral appliance, one that is worn while you sleep and that fits like a mouthguard. The device provides a barrier between the upper and lower teeth to prevent further injury. The same appliance also repositions the jaw to ease pressure and strain. If we find injuries to your teeth, we could offer minor repair in one visit with dental bonding, or address substantial injuries with a custom crown.
If you have any questions about how we design and craft custom solutions to teeth grinding, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help you enjoy relief from your grinding and clenching!
Dental Impressions Helps Treat Your Bruxism
We want to help you enjoy a healthy and attractive smile, one free of dental damage. To schedule an appointment and avoid damaged teeth, then call Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA today at (515) 965-0230.
