If you grind or clench your teeth on a regular basis, this could lead to discomfort and eventually, even damage your smile! Which is why we want to offer a solution with general dentistry. In today’s blog, your Ankeny, IA, dentist talks about how we stop teeth grinding with general dentistry.
The Causes of Your Bruxism
Why do some of us grind our teeth on such a nightly basis? Well, this could happen due to factors that alter your bite balance and strain your jaw joints, such as untreated TMD, injury to the face or jaw, missing teeth, wisdom tooth eruption, or issues with the growth of your jaw or eruption of your teeth. A high level of stress in your day-to-day life is also a factor. As part of the diagnostic process, when we examine your smile with digital imaging, we will look for the underlying causes, as well as signs of wear and friction on your teeth.
Warning Signs and Common Complications
When should you contact our team for bruxism treatment? The issue could lead to headaches, migraines, jaw and facial aches, and pain in the neck and shoulders. Your teeth could feel sensitive when you eat or drink, and you could have a toothache that doesn’t subside after a day or two. Let us know when you experience these possible symptoms, so we can offer relief. Otherwise, the pressure could crack or chip teeth, or even wear them down. They appear shorter, and the risk of tooth decay and dental infection is much higher.
Oral Appliance Therapy
How do we offer relief? Our team will start by taking detailed digital images and impressions of your smile from multiple angles, which we use to custom-fit an oral appliance. The device will look and fit like a mouthguard, but actually helps shift your jaw and improve balance to ease underlying strain on your bite. The appliance also provides a soft barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to lower the risk of further damage.
Speaking of damage, our team can repair the worn-down portions of your smile with dental bonding or even custom crowns, so you have results that look natural! If you have any questions about how our team will diagnose and treat issues like teeth grinding, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help offer relief and results that make you feel confident in your smile.
Dental Impressions Talks About General Dentistry
Our team wants to help you smile with confidence and enjoy relief from the impact of bruxism. To find out more about general dentistry and treatment for teeth grinding, then call Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA today at (515) 965-0230.
