Bruxism is a condition characterized by the involuntary habit of clenching or grinding the teeth, often during sleep, known as nocturnal bruxism. You might have heard about night teeth guards that have proven to be highly effective in protecting teeth at night.
Bruxism usually causes serious dental wear problems, jaw, head, or ear pain, neck muscle problems, and inflamed or weakened gums. However, it is relatively easy to prevent if you correctly identify the causes. Depending on its origin, some techniques and remedies may be more suitable than others.
This article will discuss some proven techniques and strategies for protecting teeth and preventing bruxism!
Techniques and Strategies for Preventing Bruxism
Although bruxism is hard to notice initially and the person suffering from it might not even know but the treatment is relatively simple once diagnosed.
Night Teeth Guards-The Most Effective Solution
The most common and effective solution to prevent bruxism is using a night guard for teeth grinding. It is a splint made based on a mold of the patient’s jaw, normally placed to sleep with it at night.
How Night Teeth Guards Work
During the time it is on, a custom mouth guard for teeth grinding relaxes the muscles and prevents them from tensing. In other words, the splint ensures that the maxillary bones (upper and lower) are in the correct position and do not exert more force than is appropriate, preventing wear on the teeth and reducing all discomfort related to bruxism.
The person who suffers from bruxism will be able to enjoy the benefits of the mouth guard as long as its use is continued. Thus, you will avoid the symptoms of this condition: tooth wear and jaw, head, ear, or neck pain.
Once available only at dental clinics, you can now order custom dental guards online.
Benefits of Using a Night Guard for Teeth Grinding
Thanks to these mouthguards, the patient will observe a series of benefits both in their oral and general health state. Among the advantages, we highlight some of them:
- They avoid tension problems in the facial muscles by relaxing the jaw.
- They reduce or eradicate the incidence of neck, headache, or ear pain.
- They positively influence the rest and sleep quality of people suffering from bruxism.
- They stop the negative consequences bruxism has, such as occlusal wear or damage to the hard tissues of the dental structure.
Physiotherapy
As a complement to the use of the splint, physiotherapeutic therapy with facial massages helps to alleviate pain.
Orthodontic
In cases where a malocclusion or occlusal instability causes bruxism, the most appropriate treatment is orthodontics.
Home Techniques to Avoid Bruxism and Protect Teeth
Before beginning to list some tips that help mitigate the effects of bruxism, it is important to clarify that it depends entirely on lifestyle and habits. It also varies if the person has nocturnal or daytime bruxism. The patient must become aware of their problem to find a solution aimed at reducing the stress or anxiety that causes the grinding.
Visit Your Dentist
The first remedy that should be sought to end bruxism is to go for a review at your dental clinic. A dental professional can suggest the best way to deal with this pathology and will have enough resources to deal with it.
Overcome Stress
It must also be considered that nocturnal bruxism is often related to stress and personal or sentimental problems. Facing and overcoming them may be the fastest way to gradually reduce the presence of bruxism, even if professional psychological help is required.
Home Remedies for Bruxism
Of course, there are home remedies for bruxism involving progressive personal relaxation, especially the closer it is to bedtime.
- Reduce activity after sunset.
- Rest between 60 and 90 minutes before going to sleep.
- Try not to spend time thinking about your worries before going to bed.
- Do not perform physical exercise after 18 hours. However, it is advisable to exercise during the day to loosen the tension.
- Avoid coffee, tea, alcohol, and large meals before bed.
- Try not to smoke, or at least reduce cigarette consumption, after 7:00 p.m.
- Establish your sleep routine and maintain a cool, pleasant, and relaxing bedroom environment. It helps improve sleep quality and reduce bruxism.
Many people suffer from bruxism due to stress and anxiety. In addition to favoring the reduction of stress and anxiety, it is also advisable to carry out a series of actions that will help to calm the pain or reduce the discomfort derived from bruxism:
- Apply ice or moist heat to the jaw to soothe the pain.
- Avoid eating very hard foods so as not to strain your jaw.
- Do not chew gum.
- Drink lots of water.
- Perform stretching of the muscles of the mouth.
- Maintain a diet rich in calcium that helps protect the enamel.
Exercises for Bruxism
In cases where there is discomfort or pain in the muscles of the face, neck, and shoulders, it is advisable to perform a self-massage that helps with muscle relaxation. With this, complications and disorders related to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are also avoided. Also, note there are night guards for TMJ disorder.
You can follow the step by step to eliminate the tensions accumulated by bruxism:
- With the pads of the fingers placed on both sides of the jaw, perform gentle, slow circular movements for approximately one minute.
- Press gently using the index, middle, and ring fingers to detect the areas with the greatest tension or the most pain under the cheekbones. Apply gentle pressure for at least one minute.
- Repeat the movements of the previous point on the temple and above the cheekbone for approximately one minute.
- Finally, place the index fingers on the lower molars with the mouth slightly open, although relaxed and without tension. Press down for a few seconds while the mouth tries to close.
Repeat this action as many times as desired to achieve complete jaw relaxation.
Combined Techniques to Prevent Bruxism
Although these exercises to relax the jaw and home remedies help reduce bruxism, it is best to carry out control and surveillance of each specific case. The dentist-recommended night guards help prevent the constant teeth grinding from wearing down the teeth and damaging the tooth enamel.
On the other hand, home remedies can help reduce pain or stress caused by bruxism. That is why it is best to go to a specialist who determines the degree of bruxism in the patient and applies the most appropriate treatment.
For example, it is recommended to reduce activity starting in the afternoon, including physical exercise, and encourage relaxation activities instead.
Order the Best Custom Night Guard Online!
Has your dentist recommended wearing a custom mouth guard for teeth grinding, and you don’t know where to get one?
Order teeth guard online at Clear Comfort Night Guards in three simple steps and receive it at your doorstep. We are a leading dental lab that sells the best night light teeth grinders.
Visit our website to explore our best custom night guard of various night teeth guards, and choose the one that best suits your needs!
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