Our team wants to help address common oral health issues like bruxism. With this disorder, you can grind or clench your teeth on a regular basis. Without treatment, your teeth could be damaged! In today’s blog, your Garland, TX, dentist talks about how we diagnose and treat chronic teeth grinding.
The Factors Behind Bruxism
Why do we grind our teeth? Often, the cause is related to changes in bite balance, such as misalignment, tooth loss, injury, or even complications with growth and development of the jaw or the eruption of the teeth. High levels of stress and untreated TMJ disorder could be factors as well. When we grind and clench our teeth nightly, this could mean painful symptoms like jaw pain, headaches and migraines, aches in the neck and shoulders, facial pain, and toothache and tooth sensitivity. If you encounter one or more of these warning signs, then please let us know right away!
The Diagnosis
Our team will take a close look at your smile with advanced imaging systems, such as digital x-rays and intraoral cameras. We can then assess the presence of bruxism and the overall severity too, so we can choose the most appropriate treatment option. If you do have damaged teeth, then our team could repair them in only one visit with dental bonding and contouring. For more severe cracks or hips, or worn down structure, we could use a custom-made dental crown to repair and restore the smile.
Treatment Options
How do we treat a case of bruxism? For some, we could discuss correcting misalignment with orthodontics to ease strain and stress. Dental crowns and even bonding or contouring could be used to help transform overall bite balance as well. But for most people, we offer relief with an oral appliance. This is created based on the detailed digital images we take of your smile, and then combine into a 3D model. In a dental lab, this is used to craft your oral appliance, which will look and fit like a mouthguard. The device helps reposition the jaw to ease pressure, and also puts a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage. This could help treat TMJ disorder too!
If you have any questions about how we diagnose and treat bruxism, then contact our team today to learn more.
Do You Have Questions About Treating Bruxism?
Our team wants to help you enjoy a good night’s rest and a healthy smile. To learn more about addressing grinding and clenching, then please schedule a consultation today by contacting Mai Dentistry in Garland, TX at (972)-530-0552. You can also find our practice at 6850 N Shiloh Rd, Suite C Garland, TX 75044.
