Got Bruxism? Get a Teeth Grinding Mouth Guard

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Bruxism refers to the action of unintentionally clenching your jaw during sleep and moving the lower teeth against the upper teeth.  In other words, grinding your teeth.

This condition can affect men, women and children of all ages.

People often have no idea they are grinding their teeth at night until they either find themselves waking up with a sore jaw, or someone tells them that it is happening.

In fact, many “bruxers” grind their teeth so hard and repetitively, the noise produced can be extremely loud.  So loud, they can not only wake up people in the same room, but other rooms as well.

The harmonic noise produced is often quite a bit more disturbing to others sleep than someone who snores loudly.  And it’s not at all uncommon for a heavy bruxer to actually wake themselves up with the noise – which, of course, is vibrating their whole head!

While the exact cause of Bruxism is unknown, research has found that stress and anxiety are two factors that contribute greatly to the condition.

A sore jaw upon waking is not the only symptom, sufferers also often find that they have indentations on their tongue and their cheeks.

People with this condition can minimize it by taking breaks during the day to try to reduce their stress levels. They should also meet with their doctor to discuss other treatment options that are available.

The least invasive thing is also the easiest – they will most likely suggest you use a mouth guard for your Bruxism.

Mouth guards for bruxism are available online from places like Night Guard Lab.

Bruxism is most commonly treated with a customized mouth guard, such as those available from Nightguardlab,  to cover and protect the teeth throughout the night.  It’s a very reliable treatment.

At minimum, any grinding you’re doing will merely wear down the plastic mouth guard rather than your tooth enamel.  They can also help you avoid the pain and expense of broken or chipped teeth.

However, mouth guards are not the only treatment and are often used in conjunction with other methods.

Muscle relaxants can be prescribed to patients that suffer from this condition as well, taken only before they go to sleep.

The muscle relaxers work much as you would imagine. They diminish the tension in the jaw muscles, causing them to slacken.

The patient continues to wear the mouth guard as well, just in case any grinding still occurs.

It may not be possible to completely eliminate the grinding at night. Thus, it’s important to consistently wear the mouth guard, as this provides the best safeguard and protection throughout the night.

For some more severe cases an anti-anxiety medication may be prescribed. This solution is particularly helpful for people who suffer from very high stress levels or are living with some form of an anxiety disorder.

These medications help to keep them calm and will also address the issue of relaxing their muscles.

It should be noted that, for some people, the condition never completely goes away.   And some sufferers find that they continue to deal with it, regardless of lifestyle changes that are implemented.

Doctors have several different treatment options so that they can customize treatment to each individual to minimize the negative effects of Bruxism.

As with all aspects of medicine, treating every patient as a unique individual proves especially helpful for those people who will never be completely cured of Bruxism.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Grinding Teeth at Night May Be a Sign of Daytime Stress (nlm.nih.gov)
• Bruxism Or Teeth Grinding Treatment And Cure (slideshare.net)

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