Bruxing

  Do you have any stress in your life?  Do you get tension headaches or overall soreness in the head and neck area?  You may be grinding or clenching your teeth.  This is also called bruxism.  This is a condition that can affect the health of your jaw joints and also the teeth themselves.  Individual teeth can become loose or painful, can wear out before you do, or become broken in ways that are unfixable.  This condition is related not only to stress and anxiety in your daily lives, but sleep disorders, abnormal bite, or missing teeth.  Most people are not aware of doing this during the day, but do it subconsciously at night.  Symptoms in the morning can include jaw muscle soreness, headache or sore teeth.  Your dentist can make you a mouthguard to wear while sleeping to minimize the wear and tear on your mouth.  You can take steps to help combat this problem as well.  Stress and anxiety reduction methods such as exercise, limiting caffeine and other stimulant intake, physical therapy, and counseling are all ways to reduce stress, therefore your chance of grinding or clenching your teeth.  Talk to your dentist to see if you show signs of bruxism and to evaluate the health of your teeth and jaws to prevent future problems.

-Authored by Dr Eric Hogan