Nightguards & Bruxism
When you’re asleep, you’re not snacking on sugary foods, sipping acidic beverages, or getting tackled in a football game, so how could you possibly be damaging your teeth?
Unfortunately, many people suffer from a condition called sleep bruxism, and it can lead to a variety of oral health problems if not properly managed and addressed.
What Is Sleep Bruxism?
Sleep bruxism is characterized by frequent jaw clenching and teeth grinding that occurs while a person is asleep.
What Causes Sleep Bruxism?
The exact cause of sleep bruxism is not yet understood. However, various factors seem to contribute to a person’s risk of having sleep bruxism. These include:
- Genetics
- Stress or anxiety
- Alcohol consumption
- Caffeine consumption
- Tobacco use
- Certain medications
- Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ)
- Sleep apnea
While lifestyle changes that reduce stress can sometimes help reduce instances of sleep bruxism, there is no definitive cure.
The Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Bruxism
Since sleep bruxism happens while you’re sleeping, you might not realize you are grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw. However, some signs, symptoms, and complications can occur during the daytime to indicate sleep bruxism.
- Waking up with jaw pain, facial, teeth pain
- Frequent morning headaches
- Migraines
- Jaw tension
- TMJ disorder
- Tingling or numbness in the face
- Sensitive teeth
- Receding gums
- Excessive wear and tear of tooth enamel
- Distinctive wear patterns on the teeth
Sleep Bruxism Complications
Left unaddressed, sleep bruxism puts excessive wear and tear on the teeth. This can lead to an elevated risk of tooth decay and cavities in addition to broken or chipped teeth. If you have any dental appliances or dental work in place in your mouth, bruxism can damage them, too.
Sleep bruxism also results in increased tooth sensitivity, receding gums, and can lead to the development of temporomandibular joint disorder.
Managing Sleep Bruxism With a Custom-Made Nightguard
If you suspect you might be clenching or grinding your teeth at night, then we recommend scheduling an examination with a dentist at ONE Dental in Miami. We can talk with you about the symptoms you have been experiencing and examine your teeth for the telltale wear patterns associated with bruxism.
We can then do a digital scan and impression of your mouth and teeth to design a custom-fit nightguard to help reduce your clenching and grinding and protect your teeth from the damage that sleep bruxism can do.
To learn more about sleep bruxism and nightguards, we welcome you to contact our office and schedule a consultation with one of our dentists today.