Chronic teeth grinding and jaw pain are fairly common problems for many patients. Many people may notice symptoms like headaches, tooth sensitivity, or facial pain that they simply ignore or try to relieve on their own. However, if you experience these side effects on a daily basis, it could be a sign of a severe condition. In today’s blog, your Sunny Smiles team explores what these disorders are and how we can help treat them.
The Causes Of These Conditions
Bruxism is a condition where patients chronically grind their teeth together or clench their jaws. This may be due to a variety of factors including stress, misaligned bite, new teeth erupting, genetics, and many other reasons. Patients may be unaware that this is happening because it often occurs when you sleep. In the morning, you may wake up with a serious headache or pain around your face. You may also not feel well-rested, even if you had a full night’s sleep. This is because the grinding may wake you up periodically throughout the night, which interrupts you sleep cycle. Bruxism may be a side effect of other disorders like obstructive sleep apnea or TMJ.
Our TMJ are the joints on are jaw that help us open and close our mouths. When you have TMJ disorder, this means that these joints do not line up properly and can cause difficulty with the movement of your jaw. You may experience headaches, pain when chewing, and other side effects. Often times, patients with this dysfunction may also grind their teeth. This can worsen the dysfunction over time and damage your pearly whites.
Why Your Dentist Is Concerned
A top priority of your dental team is to keep your teeth and gums healthy long term. Conditions like TMD or bruxism can damage your pearly whites and can have a negative impact on your oral health. Your dentist may be able to diagnose the disorder and determine a helpful treatment plan. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to stop these conditions on your own because you may be unaware it is happening. To reduce teeth grinding, reducing stress and avoiding caffeine may be able to help. TMD may be decreased with some stretches or physical therapy. In addition to these, a custom oral appliance may also be able to help you.
The oral appliance will be created to fit your oral cavity precisely. It can help your jaw joints rest to reduce symptoms of TMD. If you have bruxism, this can be used to protect your teeth from grinding against each other. Once your symptoms are in a manageable state, other restorations like fillings or dental crowns can be used to renew your oral health.
Learn More About Your Treatment Options
You don’t have to live with these disorders. Talk to our team at Sunny Smiles Family Dentistry in El Paso, TX, today at 915.759.7000 to schedule an appointment.