With bruxism, a patient has chronic teeth grinding. Nightly teeth grinding and clenching could wear down and damage teeth, leaving smiles vulnerable to tooth decay and even infection. We want to help bring relief with a comfortable oral appliance. In today’s blog, your Ankeny, IA, dentist talks about treating bruxism with an oral appliance, sparing your smile from dental damage!
The Causes of Chronic Teeth Grinding
What causes chronic teeth grinding to develop? You could suffer from bruxism due to changes to your bite balance, which could include untreated TMJ disorder, misalignment, tooth loss, or injury to the face or jaw. Natural issues with the growth of your jaw or eruption of your teeth could be a factor, as could wisdom tooth eruption. High stress levels have also been identified as possible concerns.
When you exhibit warning signs, you need to see our team right away. These possible symptoms could include toothaches, tooth sensitivity, and pain in the face or jaw. Headaches or migraines could be possible symptoms as well!
The Damage Bruxism Causes
The constant pressure from teeth grinding could lead to eventually wear down the outer structure, which makes teeth appear small or uneven, and could also increase the risk of tooth decay as the interior of the tooth is exposed. The outer structures become cracked or chipped. When you have damaged teeth, you have worsening symptoms and a greater risk of cavities and infection, as well as eventual tooth loss. Don’t let your smile ache, talk to our team about a solution with a comfortable and custom oral appliance.
Treatment with Oral Appliance Therapy
With oral appliance therapy, we offer a comfortable and noninvasive solution to your bruxism. We begin by taking detailed digital images of your bite from multiple angles with an intraoral camera. We then use these to create a 3D model of your smile, one that we can use in a lab setting to design and craft an oral appliance, one custom-fitted for your bite. When worn as you sleep, the device fits like a mouthguard and helps shift the jaw to ease underlying stress and strain. This also places a soft barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage. The appliance itself is easy to use and clean, and it can travel with you during the holiday season.
If you have any questions about how we treat smiles with bruxism, then contact our team today to learn more. Now is also a chance to use your remaining dental benefits.
Dental Impressions Talks About Preventing Damaged Teeth
Our team wants to help you avoid damaged teeth and other serious complications with oral appliance therapy. To schedule an appointment for teeth grinding treatment, then call Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA today at (515) 965-0230.
