Teeth grinding, also called bruxism, is when a person clenches the teeth.  It is not associated with chewing and can happen in both children and adults.  It is forceful and outward thrusting movements by the lateral jaw.  It causes the teeth to rub or grind together.  If it goes untreated, it can cause significant damage.  Tooth fractures, tooth loosening, tooth loss, damage to the jaw bone and even hearing loss can all happen when dealing with bruxism. #smilewithconfidence

There are several ways to combat bruxism: reducing stress, practicing jaw relaxing exercises, correcting an abnormal bite and wearing a mouthguard at night. Queen Creek Dental Care AZ

Reduce Stress:  Around 50% of teeth grinding is caused by stress.  Often people will grind their teeth during sleep because of stress.  It is helpful to pinpoint the areas in your life that cause stress and eliminate them.  Counseling, group therapy, and exercise are great ways to begin reducing stress in your life. #martindental

Jaw Relaxing:  Learning to relax your jaw before bed is another way to stop grinding your teeth.  Before going to sleep, take a washcloth and moisten it with warm water.  Place the washcloth on your cheeks, in front of the ear lobes.  This helps to relax the muscles in your cheeks.  It helps to reduce teeth grinding during sleeping hours. Queen Creek Dental Care AZ

Correcting Abnormal Bite:  If the teeth are not aligned properly, a person can unintentionally grind the teeth together while sleeping.  It can be corrected by your dentist.

Mouthguard:  Your dentist can custom-make a mouthguard for you to wear at night.  Guarding one jaw against the other can significantly improve any teeth grinding.