Bruxism - Tooth Grinding Didsbury

Tooth grinding (clinically known as Bruxism) is a common problem that can be debilitating for your dental health and causes emotional problems that stop you from living life to the fullest.

Here at Pro Hygienist, we can offer mouth guard treatment to prevent tooth grinding and to improve damage caused by chronic grinding.

What is tooth grinding?

Tooth grinding or Bruxism is when both sets of teeth inadvertently grind against one another or clench the jaw, causing tooth wear and discomfort such as jaw pain and stiffness, headaches, sleep disturbance and ear pain.

Grinding teeth places stress on the temporomandibular jaw joint (TMJ), which can also result in a clicking sound on one or each side of the jaw.

Tooth grinding is often caused by misaligned or poorly structured teeth (overbites, underbites, crooked teeth and missing teeth). Stress can also play a major part in the cause and evolution of tooth grinding.

How is tooth grinding treated?

At Pro Hygienist, we can prescribe custom mouth guards or night guards to prevent teeth grinding (which most often occurs when you are asleep). A mouthguard functions as a barrier between your top and bottom teeth and loosens your jaw as it tries to clench when you sleep.

Sports mouth guards are easy to acclimatise to, comfortable to wear and will not cause a gag reflex. Once your mouthguard is in, your teeth will not be able to meet, eliminating the possibility of grinding and the unpleasant associated symptoms.

If you have suffered minor tooth wear as a result of tooth grinding, we may be able to address this with treatment such as fillings or composite bonding. If you present with moderate to severe wear, we may refer you to a restorative dentist for prosthodontic treatment, with a view to rebuilding your chewing ability and dental aesthetic.

The benefits of treating tooth grinding

• Better quality of sleep.
• Pain associated with tooth grinding will subside.
• Mouthguards are a non-invasive treatment.
• Helps to maintain the structure of each tooth/reduces the chances of needing restorative treatment to build your teeth back up.

Contact Pro Hygienist for a tooth grinding diagnosis and treatment today. Without the distraction and pain caused by grinding or jaw clenching, you can get on with your normal life activities without hassle.