Woman holding an upper bite plate to prevent grinding her teeth together as she looks at her reflection in the mirror
When you grind your teeth frequently, then you could be suffering from a serious oral health problem known as bruxism. Without treatment, this could damage your smile and lead to major oral health complications! In today’s blog, your Houston, TX, dentist wants to talk about how we stop teeth grinding from damaging your teeth!
In childhood, we often grind our teeth for brief periods. But when we do so frequently in adulthood, this is a disorder known as bruxism. Causes could include factors that upset the balance of your bite or strain your jaw joints, such as missing teeth, malocclusion, misalignment, injury to the face or jaw, stress, or untreated TMJ disorder. Symptoms could include pain in the jaw or face, chronic headaches or migraines, toothaches, and tooth sensitivity. When you experience similar symptoms, we suggest letting us know right away.
Over time, the pressure from the disorder could place enormous pressure on the teeth. The same pressure could weaken tooth enamel, cracking or chipping teeth. Bruxism could also wear down the outer structure too. The teeth appear small and uneven, and this could also expose the sensitive inner tissues to increase the risk of tooth decay and dental infection. Don’t let the disorder compromise your smile. Talk to our team and schedule a consultation. We will take detailed digital images of your smile to help assess the cause and extent of your bruxism. We can then recommend treatment, and also repair any damage with dental bonding or possibly a custom-made dental crown!
For some, treatment could involve orthodontics to correct misalignment and malocclusion. We could also use crowns to help restore bite balance, or a prosthetic to replace a missing tooth. However, the most common solution is an oral appliance, one crafted based on the digital images and measurements we take of your smile. The device will look and fit like a mouthguard, and is worn as you rest at night. The appliance will reposition the jaw to ease strain and pressure, and also puts a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage to your smile.
If you seek treatment now, we could offer solutions before the hectic holiday season makes your schedule too busy, and you could also use your remaining dental insurance benefits or health savings funds before they expire on December 31st. If you have any questions or concerns, or if you would like to make an appointment, then contact our team today.
Our team wants to help you stop grinding or clenching your teeth. For more information on how we treat common oral health concerns, then contact your Houston, TX, dentist, Dr. Chan, by calling 713-926-8896.
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