Teeth grinding or bruxism which often happens when sleeping can be caused by anxiety and stress. However, it may also be due to an abnormal bite or missing teeth. A crooked teeth may be a reason for teeth grinding. Treating grinding teeth at night may be difficult since teeth grinding occurs often during sleep and most people are unaware that they grind their teeth at night while sleeping.
Seek Doctor’s Advice
If some signs suggest that you are grinding your teeth at night, then the wisest thing to do is see your doctor. The doctor can thoroughly examine your teeth for signs of bruxism. Two common signs that suggest you are grinding teeth at night are the presence of abnormalities in your teeth and jaw tenderness.
Use of Mouthguard
One way to stop grinding teeth at night is asking your doctor how to directly solve the problem. The doctor may suggest the use of a mouth guard which is reliable in protecting your teeth from grinding while sleeping.
Reduce Stress
Bruxism caused by stress can be remedied by asking your doctor or dentist on how to reduce your stress. Options for reducing stress are stress counseling, exercising regularly, asking for the help of a physical therapist and using muscle relaxants as prescribed by a doctor.
Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol
Some other ways on how to stop grinding teeth at night are avoiding alcohol and reducing intake of foods and drinks that contain caffeine such as coffee, chocolate and sodas.This is because these substances can intensify teeth grinding.
Relax Your Muscles
A person with bruxism must avoid chewing of pencils or pens. He can train himself not to clench or grind teeth, and relax the jaw muscles by putting a warm washcloth against the cheek right in front of the earlobe. Chewing gum should also be avoided since it conditions your muscles to get use in clenching which makes your more likely to grind your teeth.
Teeth grinding should be stopped or remedied at once since it may also have harmful effects to our health. Teeth grinding can cause fracturing, loss and loosening of the teeth. Chronic teeth grinding may degrade the teeth and eventually make you settle for costly solutions like root canals, implants, partial dentures and sometimes the need for a complete denture. Severe grinding can also harm your jaws; it may lead to hearing loss and sometimes change the appearance of your face.