Your White Plains Dentists Serving Our Westchester Community
Grinding Your Teeth?
The technical word for teeth grinding is Bruxism. A lot of people suffer from this disorder unknowingly, as it usually occurs during sleep. And, unless the constant racket of your grinding is keeping someone else awake, you may not think your sore jaw, restless sleep and general fatigue are symptoms of bruxism. Left untreated, it could lead to painful or loose teeth, or teeth that are literally ground down leaving worn surfaces or fractured enamel.
While your dentist can usually detect the telltale signs of wear on your teeth, if you suspect you might have a grinding problem, be sure to mention it at your next visit. As your dental professional, we can then determine the cause and appropriate treatment of your problem.
A major cause of bruxism is stress.
We may recommend that you wear a plastic mouth guard at night to prevent grinding. The custom-made guard keeps the upper and lower teeth from coming together, helping to relax your jaw muscles, and making it impossible for you to grind your teeth against one another. We may also prescribe muscle relaxants or anti-inflammatory medications or a vacation!
If an abnormal bite, or crooked or missing teeth are causing you to grind, we may treat your bruxism by removing the high spots on the problem teeth. In more serious cases, we will reshape or reconstruct the biting surfaces of the problem teeth with crowns or inlays or may even suggest orthodontic treatment to establish a more functional bite.
We have been able to help many of our patients get comfort again and protect them from encountering more serious dental treatment with very conservative treatment.
If you want to get your grinding under control, talk to us. With the proper treatment, we can help alleviate the pain in your jaw, improve your sleep, and protect your teeth from abnormal wear.
Ask us and we will be happy to help you!
Dr. Frank Bosco