Prevention
of teeth grinding at night can be best appreciated with
a clear understanding of this oral habit or condition of
Bruxism as it is defined in medical terms.
The nature
and symptoms of teeth grinding
Teeth
grinding occurs as an oral habit that manifests in
tightly clenching the upper and lower teeth and sliding
them in a forward and backward motion while tightly
clenched. This type of teeth grinding usually occurs at
night (but it can be a diurnal condition as well) and
can potentially cause a lot of damage to teeth, gums,
jaw joint and lead to other associated health conditions
subsequently.
Most cases
of teeth grinding exhibits symptoms in the form of
severe wear and tear of teeth, fractures of teeth, teeth
loss, jaw joint or upper spinal column dysfunction etc.
While stress is accepted as one of the major
contributors of teeth grinding habit, there may be other
organic causes related to another health condition as
well.
How to
prevent teeth grinding
- One of
the best ways of preventing teeth grinding is to
ensure that one goes to bed stress free and relaxed.
For high strung people and others under a lot of
stress, relaxation therapy and exercises can be
practiced. This is one of the most effective ways to
prevent night time Bruxism.
- Other
durable ways to prevent teeth grinding is to maintain
an overall good health and undertake holistic manners
of staying fit and adopting a healthy
lifestyle
- There
are other methods of preventing teeth grinding through
the adoption of various steps and devices to manage
the habit. This includes – devices such as splints and
mouth guards to prevent damage to teeth; biofeedback
devices to control teeth grinding at night;
orthodontic adjustments to change bite
patterns;
- Since
teeth grinding at night is also a result of side
effects of some types of medication, taking a lot of
care to avoid self medication or buying over the
counter drugs to undertake random treatment or
preventive action goes a long way to avert the
occurrence of Bruxism as well as many other health
complications.
Treatment
of Bruxism is most effective when carried out after
consultations and examinations by a specialist. This is
because the oral condition of teeth grinding is a
multifactorial condition that can be brought on by
several causes. Unless a treatment targets the root
cause of the teeth grinding, positive results will
remain elusive.
