Do you grind your teeth at night? If so, then this pressure could wear down teeth and damage them, leading to a higher risk of painful symptoms and complications. But we can help! In today’s blog, your team at MMC Dental in Houston, TX, talks about stopping bruxism before it breaks your teeth.
The Causes of Bruxism
What causes an issue like teeth grinding to develop? People could develop chronic teeth grinding due to high stress levels in their daily life. For others, it could be untreated TMJ disorder. If you have concerns with misalignment, injury to the face or jaw, tooth loss, or with the growth of your jaw or eruption of your teeth, this could also lead to chronic teeth grinding. Eventually, bruxism could break your teeth, so you should see us at the first sign of trouble.
Your significant other could let you know that you grind your teeth. But there are also warning signs that occur in waking hours, such as pain in the face or jaw, tooth sensitivity and toothaches, headaches and migraines, or teeth that appear worn down and short, or cracked or chipped. When symptoms like these occur, please let us know right away.
How Teeth Grinding Injures Your Teeth
Bruxism could break your teeth, as the enormous pressure wears down the outer enamel and even cracks or chips a tooth. When this happens, the appearance of your smile is altered in negative ways. But the interior of your teeth is also exposed to harmful oral bacteria, which can lead to tooth decay and even infection, threatening the stability of your teeth and causing major discomfort. To protect your smile, we can treat bruxism with a custom oral appliance.
Treatment with an Oral Appliance
Our team will take detailed images of your bite using digital technology, using them to design and craft an oral appliance. The device is custom-made and looks like a mouthguard. When worn at night, this will help shift your jaw to restore balance and protect your smile. The oral appliance also places a soft barrier between the upper and lower teeth to prevent further injury. Speaking of, we can repair injuries with bonding or even a custom crown!
If you have any questions about how bruxism breaks your teeth, or how we can help, then contact our team today to learn more. We are ready to restore the health, function, and beauty of your smile, even for those with chronic teeth grinding!
MMC Dental Stops Chronic Teeth Grinding
To avoid damage to your smile, we can treat teeth grinding with an oral appliance. To find out more about our office or to schedule a general dental appointment, call MMC Dental in Houston, TX today at 713-926-8896.