Things that can make you stop grinding your teeth
Posted on: 5 December 2015
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Grinding your teeth, or bruxism, is something that affects many people throughout the world. As it is most common during the night when you are asleep, it can't really be classified as a bad habit, as you're not always aware that you're doing it. This is also why it's rather hard to cure, even if you're seeing a dentist regularly. If you're grinding your teeth, you should know there are some things you can do both to decrease and completely stop you from grinding your teeth.
What you're putting in your mouth during the day
The first thing you should do is to mind what you are putting in your mouth during daytime. If you have a habit of chewing a lot of chewing gum during the day, this behaviour might also show during the night, causing you to clench or grind your teeth. The same thing applies if you eat a lot of hard or tough things, like steak or nuts. The jaw is just so used to the movement that it can't stop even when you're not chewing. Changing your diet and habits might help you get rid of bruxism.
Relaxation exercises
As bruxism often is a sign of stress or tension, you should get acquainted with different relaxation exercises. Reducing stress is difficult, but doing regular breathing exercises and stretching can reduce your everyday stress levels a lot. You should especially focus on stretching you neck and jaw muscles, as these are the ones affected by bruxism. Ask your dentist about appropriate stretching exercises to make sure you don't injure yourself while stretching. You should also make it a habit to relax your facial muscles throughout the day. Take a couple of minutes every day where you focus on relaxing your face as much as possible.
Most common treatment
The most common treatment for bruxism is some type of mouth guard. You can get these fitted at almost any dental clinic, and they should reduce your teeth grinding significantly while you're wearing it. It's not a permanent solution as you don't actually cure the cause for the teeth grinding, but it will prevent you from causing damage to your teeth.
In case of severe pain
If you are experiencing tremendous amounts of pain to the point where you might not be able to open your mouth because of teeth grinding, you should go to your dental clinic immediately. You will then get any damage repaired, a mouth guard fitted, and possibly references to a physical dental therapist that can help you out with reducing the tension in your body that is causing the teeth grinding. Contact a company like Melbourne Dental Clinic for more information.