Do you want to stop teeth grinding? Do you have the symptoms of grinding your teeth at night:
- you wake up with jaw muscles that are painful or tight due to jaw clenching
- you teeth are getting chipped or worn down due to this teeth clenching and tooth grinding
- your sleeping partner complains about the grinding noises you are making while grinding your teeth
- you find you have chewed the tissue on the inside of your cheek
If you have the above, then you quite likely are grinding your teeth while sleeping. This, in technical terms, is called bruxism.
Most people grind their teeth because their jaw has just gotten into the habit of being tense during the night (and day). This is often due to stress. It can also be because your teeth are misaligned, making it hard for the jaw to remain relaxed.
How to stop jaw clenching and teeth clenching and grinding
How to stop grinding teeth? There are many remedies for bruxism:
- mouth guards and splints for tooth grinding: these are made of hard acrylic or soft, rubber-like materials and can be customized by your dentist, or non-customized. They are then worn in the mouth. They can slow down the tooth damage and may reduce the grinding sounds. However, most studies have shown that once you stop wearing them, the grinding of teeth comes back. And, they can fall out during sleep.
- dental correction to stop tooth grinding: if the tooth grinding is connected with dental issues, such as bad bites, dental reconstructive treatment can help. Obviously, this is expensive, but could be needed overall
- biofeedback for bruxism: this involves attaching electrodes to the face. or a gauge between the teeth. When the systems detect signs of grinding your teeth, a flashing light or alarm is activated, which teaches you to change your behavior. There are obvious pros and cons. On one side, there is a better chance that you will learn to change your behavior. On the other, you may have your sleep disturbed for no reason at all, due to a false alarm.
- stress management for teeth clenching: there are many indications that a high percentage of people grind their teeth due to stress. Therefore, stress reduction activities and counseling could promote a reduction in teeth grinding.
- hypnosis for teeth clenching has been proven effective: it can reduce your stress while helping retrain your mind to not tense the jaw.
Grinding your teeth can be very destructive - nobody wants to grind their teeth away!
Many of the treatments involve attaching things to your face, or putting things in your mouth, which can be uncomfortable and expensive. And, obviously, needed dental treatment should be considered.
Review the treatments, and decide which looks best for you.