Clenching and grinding of the teeth is a very common habit in this high stress day and age. It involves unconsciously gnashing the teeth together with a large amount of force, usually during sleep, but sometimes when awake. It can cause catastrophic damage to the teeth, which can be very costly to rebuild, as well as muscular discomfort like headaches and neck pain.
Here are five major signs to look out for-
1. Pain or soreness. This can be pain in your cheeks, jaw, or even a generalised pain through the teeth or a sensitivity to cold.
2. Worn or flattened teeth or small crack lines appearing throughout the teeth.
3. You catch yourself throughout the day clenching your teeth, maybe while you are concentrating or experiencing stress. This is often happening a lot more than you might expect.
4. The noise. Someone tells you that they have heard you grinding your teeth in the night. The noise might also be in the form of a 'click' in your jaw on chewing, speaking or yawning.
5. Chipped or broken teeth
If you suspect you may be clenching or grinding, the treatment involves making a specialised guard for you to wear at night.
This helps to prevent further wear of the precious tooth structure, and will also help to reduce any potential associated pain.
Please call our rooms if you would like any further information about how to protect your teeth from wear.