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Dental professionals use the term bruxism to describe the process of grinding your teeth intentionally or unintentionally. While you might think that it is just a bad habit or something you do out of frustration, it can actually be pretty detrimental to your oral health.
What Causes Bruxism?
For people who knowingly grind their teeth, the root cause usually comes back to either stress or a force of habit. Grinding your teeth early in life is a good indicator that you will do the same thing once all of your adult teeth push through – around the age of 13. Those who unknowingly grind, especially while they are asleep, may suffer from incorrectly aligned teeth, or it might be a side effect of certain medications.
What can Happen if Left Unchecked?
Bruxism can be very damaging to your teeth and there has been limited research on what can be done to stop it. Over time, grinding your teeth can start to wear away at the enamel and expose the dentin that makes up the bulk of a tooth’s mass. Once dentin is exposed, it is usually only a matter of time before everyday food and drink wears it down and causes the nerve to become unprotected. If you catch it early, a filling may be enough to help stop your tooth from decaying, but if it gets too deep, you may need to have a root canal in order to stop the pain.
Grinding your teeth also has a particularly negative effect on existing fillings, causing them to dislodge at which point a new filling will be required to take its place.
How to Stop Grinding Your Teeth.
If there is a certain medicine that might be causing the grinding, your doctor may be able to switch prescriptions or decide on another course of action. Stress-related bruxism can usually be taken care of by getting rid of the stressor, or by speaking with a mental health professional.
Visit a Cosmetic Dentist in Cedar Park
One of the best ways to stop grinding your teeth is to have a dental guard made for you to wear while you sleep. A Reveal Dental cosmetic dentist in Cedar Park can usually have one of these made within a couple of weeks, and you will start seeing results the first time you wear it.
Reveal Dental offers expert dental solutions including cosmetic, general dentistry, implants and much more. Contact Reveal Dental today to book an appointment!