I Wake up with Headaches
Do you feel tired even after hours of sleep or wake up at midnight due to a severe headache? Do you experience ear or neck pain while you wake up in the morning or struggle with the stiffness of jaws while having your breakfast?
You may be wondering why we are discussing something that is not relevant to your teeth here. The reality could be different, and headache and neck pain could be due to your teeth, particularly due to the grinding and clenching issues.
Note that teeth grinding issues are often unnoticed by the patient, but the symptoms can give us enough clue whether you’re struggling with it or not.
Why Grinding And Clenching?
The causes of teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, can be psychological, biological, or due to the habits of the person. People who struggle from sleep apnoea or snoring often experience teeth grinding issues as well. Some of the major contributors to teeth grinding are the following:
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Smoking
• Caffeine
• Heavy Alcohol
• Sleep disorders
• Depression
Children often experience teeth grinding as they go through the rapid phase of oral growth and development. However, it’s not a damaging habit that needs treatment.
Symptoms Of Teeth Grinding
While headache, ear pain, and neck pain are some of the most common symptoms of teeth grinding, some people may experience different symptoms. The other symptoms include:
• Aching teeth, especially after waking up
• Aching and stiffness of jaws and face
• Chipped or cracked tooth enamel
• The sensitivity of teeth to temperature
• Tooth indentations or cuts on the tongue
• Loss of teeth
If you experience any of the symptoms, it’s important for you to go for a comprehensive dental examination. Note that teeth grinding issues should be addressed at the earliest as the persistent issue can compromise your oral health and can weaken your teeth.
Treatment Options
After we identify that you’re grinding or clenching teeth, we will provide you with treatment solutions that are specific to your requirements. As a treatment option, we may recommend a mouth guard or splint to you for preventing damages to your teeth due to grinding.
It can help you avoid the teeth damages even though you struggle with grinding or clenching throughout the night. Splints are great dental devices as they take the clenching or grinding pressure from your jaw, teeth, and head. It helps you to reduce the headache, jaw pain, and more due to teeth grinding.
In severe cases, the dentist may perform some dental correction that includes shaping of chewing surfaces of the teeth or the use of crowns. The treatment is particularly applicable if you cannot chew properly or tooth grinding leads to sensitivity.
Sometimes, teeth grinding needs a combination of various treatment approaches to provide the best results. This includes stress management, biofeedback, and behaviour change.
If your tooth grinding is because of stress, relaxation techniques can help you relieve your condition. Also, you can make some behavioural changes, such as practising proper jaw and mouth position, to improve your condition. Your dentist can help you to adjust your jaw and mouth to the best position.
People who find it hard to make the behavioural changes can get the assistance of their dentist to benefit from biofeedback. In the procedure, dentists monitor the jaw and mouth of the patient and teach them to control the movement of muscles in their jaw.
Addressing The Teeth Damages
We will also examine your teeth and see the damages caused by grinding or clenching. Patients with grinding or clenching issues often experience the following types of dental issues:
• Chipped teeth
• Worn-down teeth
• Fractured or cracked teeth
• Loose or shaky teeth
• Damaged internal pulp
Note that long-term teeth grinding issues can create irreversible consequences to your oral health. At ProSmiles, we offer any or mix of the following types of treatments based on the teeth condition to restore from the grinding and clenching damages:
• Fillings
• Veneers
• Dental crowns
• Root canal therapy
Not everyone experiences the symptoms of teeth grinding such as headache, neck pain, etc. However, regular dental check-ups can help you to identify the issue of teeth grinding and clenching. Dentists can see and confirm the signs of early teeth grinding and provide you with treatment solutions to get rid of the dental condition.
Some Lifestyle Remedies
With some lifestyle changes and home remedies, you can reduce the teeth grinding issues up to a greater extent.
• Reduce stress by listening to music, exercising, practising deep breathing, and more.
• Avoid the use of stimulating foods, including caffeinated tea and coffee and alcohol, in the evenings as they can worsen your condition.
• Proper night sleep can reduce your teeth grinding issues; therefore, you should be developing good sleeping practices
• Schedule regular dental exams as your dentists can identify potential teeth grinding and clenching issues.
Why ProSmiles?
ProSmiles has a few decades of expertise in a wide range of general and cosmetic dentistry solutions. With highly experienced dentists and consistent quality treatment services, we became one of the most popular destinations for all the major dental worries in Melbourne.
We pioneer the dental industry of Australia with state-of-the-art equipment and tools and commitment to providing the highest quality treatment solutions. We have trained supporting staff to guide you in every phase of the treatment and provide you with personalised care.
At ProSmiles, you have the option to choose tooth-coloured fillings, porcelain veneers, and dental crowns that can improve the visual aesthetics of your face.
Book Your Appointment Today, Improve Your Oral Health
Call ProSmiles today on (03) 8613 3416 or contact us online to book an appointment to correct teeth grinding issues. It’s your way to improve overall oral health.
Disclaimer
Invasive procedures carry risks, and it may stop you from getting the expected results. We request you to take an independent view from a qualified health professional before planning to go ahead with the treatment.