How We Prevent Teeth Grinding Damage

If you have persistent pain in your bite and your significant other complains about your teeth grinding, you could have bruxism. Without treatment, the pressure from teeth grinding and clenching could damage teeth and cause discomfort! But your team at Gentle Smiles Family Dentistry can offer relief from bruxism for our Dallas, TX, patients.

The Risks of Untreated Bruxism

Bruxism could develop due to imbalance in your bite or even high stress levels. Factors behind it could include tooth loss, misalignment, injury, wisdom tooth eruption, or issues with the growth of your smile. Without treatment, the regular pressure on your teeth at night could wear down the outer structure, so teeth appear shorter and the risk of tooth decay and infection increases. Likewise, teeth can become chipped and cracked, again leading to cavities and infection. To avoid the potential for tooth loss, and to spare yourself discomfort, we can offer a custom solution with a custom oral appliance.

Warning Signs

Your significant other can let you know about the constant grinding at night, but there are also symptoms you can experience during your waking hours. For example, you could have tooth sensitivity and toothaches, and you could have pain in the face and jaw. Headaches and migraines are common too, and if this leads to TMJ disorder, there could be a popping or clicking sensation in your jaw. Don’t ignore the persistent pain in your bite, talk to our team about a solution. Our team can not only stop bruxism, but we can offer lifelike repair to the damaged portions of your smile with bonding and even custom crowns.

Oral Appliance Therapy

How does an oral appliance help stop bruxism? Our team will take images and measurements of your bite with digital technology, so we can custom-fit an oral appliance that is worn while you sleep. The device will fit like a mouthguard, and helps gently reposition the jaw to ease underlying stress and strain, helping to prevent teeth grinding episodes. When you grind and clench your teeth, the oral appliance will act as a soft barrier between the upper and lower sets of your teeth, so you don’t chip or crack them. The oral appliance is easy to use, and simple to clean. It can travel with you too!

If you have any questions about how we offer relief from bruxism and TMJ disorder with a custom oral appliance, then contact our team today to learn more and start your treatment journey.

Schedule Teeth Grinding Treatment At Gentle Smiles

Our team can offer help for patients with TMJ disorder and/or teeth grinding. To find out more about our office or to schedule a back-to-school checkup, call Gentle Smiles Family Dentistry at 972-329-7645 today.