Do you wake up with headaches or a sore jaw? Are your teeth sensitive to hot or cold? If so, you may be grinding your teeth.
Bruxism, also called teeth grinding, is the excessive clenching of your jaw or grinding of your teeth.
There are two kinds of bruxism, sleep bruxism and awake bruxism. Like the names state, sleep bruxism occurs when you are sleeping and awake bruxism occurs when you are awake. The symptoms of sleep bruxism are usually worse when you wake up and then improve during the day. Symptoms of awake bruxism get worse as the day goes on.
Stress is the main cause of bruxism. To help our patients, we would like to offer some tips on how to reduce stress and hopefully help you find relief from bruxism.
- Have a balanced diet
- Relax and spend time with friends and family
- Get on a regular sleep pattern
- Try not to clench your jaw or grind your teeth when you are awake
- Listen to relaxing music before bed
If you notice you are clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth, be sure to contact your dentist. They can offer you a specialty mouth guard that will help reduce the harm done by bruxism as you sleep.
Are you grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw?
If you suffer from bruxism, be sure to schedule an appointment at Milford Dental Excellence in Milford, OH.
