Different Ways to Treat Bruxism

Oct 28
07:39

2010

Jay Sanders

Jay Sanders

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

Grinding or clenching your teeth, formally known as Bruxism usually occurs at night while you sleep, but can also happen during the day.

mediaimage

Do you have Bruxism?

 This condition varies from mild to severe cases. The mildest case is one where the patient only has a minimal amount of damage to their teeth. The most severe cases can come with such side effects as TMJ or arthritis of the temporomandibular joint. Our jaws chew with the brute force of 175 pounds per square inch,Different Ways to Treat Bruxism Articles when you grind your teeth that force is two fold.

 

Looking for relief from bruxism?

 

1. For five hundred dollars and up, you can get a splint or mouth guard, the most basic form of treatment.

 

Advantages

This form of treatment will prevent additional damage to your teeth as well as keep your teeth in line, preventing any movement caused by force.

 

Disadvantages

 

This form of treatment is often found to be uncomfortable. Some subjects find the mouth guard difficult to sleep in and others even gag on the device.

This treatment does not address the actual problem, you are still grinding, only now your doing it with a mouth guard in place.

 Insurance usually wont cover this, and if you have moderate to heavy bruxism, you may find yourself replacing the splint or mouth guard often, having bitten through it.

Prolonged use of a mouth guard or splint can cause an inability to close the jaw. Dentists call this prognosis an "open bite".

 

2. Some doctors or dentists will prescribe pain medication

 

Advantages

This method will reduce inflammation in the jaw, providing temporary relief of bruxism.

 

Disadvantages

Again, this is not a cure - your bruxism will still occur.

Taking pain killers for long periods of time are not only highly addictive with severe withdrawal symptoms, they do irreversible damage to your liver and can interact negatively with other medications.

 

3. Making major life changes such as a serious change in diet to provide you with real bruxism relief and jaw exercises.

 

Advantages

This form of treatment is all natural and can provide an actual cure for your bruxism.

 

Disadvantages

The task of finding the methods that work for you can be difficult if you’re not sure where to start.

 


 


Article "tagged" as:

Categories: