Teeth Grinding

Do You Grind Your Teeth

 

Do you wake up in the morning with a sore jaw or sore teeth? What about headaches or earaches? If you do you are probably grinding or clamping your teeth while you are sleeping.

So, what should you do about it? You should make a dentist appointment, Gridn let them know your symptoms and they may recommend a night guard. The dental assistant will take an alginate impression of your teeth then pour up in stone to make a model of your teeth. The stone model will then be sent to the lab to fabricate a night guard.

The second visit will consist of you trying it on and the dentist making any needed adjustments. It will fit tight and may take a few nights to get use to. Within a couple of days the soreness in your jaw and headaches should decrease.

Now, the next question is what if this situation is ignored?  When you clamp and grind your teeth, it slowly damages the teeth and the bone surrounding the teeth. This is known as bruxism.

Teeth have 3 important layers:

1. Enamel- is the outside, shell-like layer of teeth,
2. Dentin- the layer beneath the enamel that surrounds the nerve.
3. The nerve- the life source of a tooth.

When you grind your teeth, it wears down these layers. With this being said, the closer you get to the nerve, the more sensitivity will be felt.

If you are having any mild symptoms make a dental appointment for the proper diagnosis.