Bruxism — also known as teeth grinding — is definitely one of the more painful dental health problems you could be facing.
The majority of people who have bruxism either don’t even know it, or they finally started to get treatment for it after months — possibly even years — of suffering from the pain and the resulting oral health issues. Luckily, bruxism is a fairly easy condition to treat when you know what you’re dealing with.
Here are a few of the most common ways bruxism is treated today:
- Because this particular dental health problem is also considered a sleep-related disorder in most cases, it occasionally will go away on its own if a patient has another sleep disorder and gets treatment for it. Sleep apnea, for instance, is often associated with teeth grinding; sometimes when patients get their sleep apnea treated, they stop grinding their teeth at night, too.
- Bruxism is also a common result of increased stress — both mental and physical stress — and this is the primary reason why a person might be grinding his or her teeth during the daytime. Reducing stress is key here, and many people accomplish this by taking short breaks during the day and meditating or doing yoga. Reducing stimulants (like coffee and chocolate) will reduce the involuntary muscle tension in your body as well.
- Last but not least, night mouth guards are a great way to keep from grinding your teeth at night, and they’re probably the most effective option you can go with. These plastic mouth guards take some getting used to, but they start working instantly and most people begin noticing a major difference within just a few days of using one.
