Dental patients often think of oral health threats as exterior, invading forces that threaten to take over the patient’s smile. Harmful oral bacteria, for example, infect teeth and oral tissues, causing them to break down.
However, there are certain dental problems that are less about external factors, and more about the very structure of a patient’s smile. On such issue is bruxism.
Bruxism refers to chronic dental grinding or clenching. This problem may pop up for any number of reasons, including stress, poor dental alignment, maxillofacial damage, and more.
If left untreated, bruxism can lead to a number of other oral health issues, such as:
- Thinning dental enamel, which is thus more vulnerable to damage and infection
- Head/neck/face pain
- Cracks or chips in the dental enamel
- Changes to the patient’s dental alignment
- TMJ disorder
If you experience only occasional bruxism, brought on by stress, it may be enough to simply introduce some stress-reducing measures into your routine. For many people, however, this is not enough.
Your dentist may recommend that you undergo treatment to improve your dental alignment and your bite. You may also or alternatively be fitted with a custom bruxism mouth guard, which will protect your teeth while you sleep. The treatment plan that will work for you will depend on how and why your smile has become unbalanced.
Bruxism is one of those conditions that, for many people, only gets worse as time goes on. That is why it is so important to seek treatment as soon as you suspect that you’re grinding or clenching your teeth. Don’t wait until the problems get so severe that they necessitate extensive restorative treatment.
Our Saint Louis dentists are happy to provide you with any additional information you may need about bruxism—its causes, symptoms, and treatments. Please give us a call to learn more and to schedule your personal consultation with our team!