Many people grind or clench their teeth, whether in times of stress or as a bad habit with unknown roots. About 20% of Americans spend much of their day with their teeth clenched. This causes damage, although you rarely notice your clenching as it happens. This daytime bruxism is not as extreme as nighttime grinding, but few people know how to stop grinding teeth during the day.
About Teeth Grinding
Nighttime teeth grinding takes place while you sleep, whereas daytime grinding usually happens as teeth clenching. When you grind your teeth in your sleep, other people hear it and tell you about this problem. The sound wakes others and causes your teeth and jaw to hurt.
Therefore, nighttime grinding is often more obvious than daytime bruxism. Of course, you still damage your teeth when clenching during the day. As with nighttime grinding, you wear down your teeth and damage restorations during daytime clenching. This includes features like implants, fillings, and crowns.
At night, a custom-made mouth guard provides an option for stopping the grinding. So what solutions exist for how to stop grinding teeth during the day?
How to Stop Grinding Teeth During the Day
How to stop grinding teeth during the day is not as tough as you think. Simple awareness of your problem helps you start fighting it. Your dentist often recommends biofeedback, cognitive behavioral therapy, or aversion therapy. Your primary goal in therapy usually includes reducing stress and anxiety to reduce the daytime teeth grinding.
Nighttime mouthguards prove too bulky for daytime wear. However, if a mouthguard provides the help you need for daytime teeth clenching or grinding, daytime models exist. Your dentist can provide you with custom-fitted daytime mouthguards.
Daytime mouthguards offer super thin material and near invisibility in your mouth. These daytime appliances also enable you to speak without a problem. They cushion your jaw from daytime teeth clenching while also protecting your tooth enamel, crowns, and implants.
Other Dental Services You Need for a Healthy Mouth
Teeth grinding and jaw clenching provide only two examples of dental health problems your dentist treats. Of course, these two issues make it clear why you need to visit your dentist twice yearly. It’s important to keep small problems from becoming big ones.
Your Tupelo dentist provides help for teeth grinding, jaw clenching, tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth replacement. Through your skilled dentist, you also gain access to a wide range of cosmetic improvements, such as teeth whitening, veneers, and Invisalign.
North Mississippi Family Dentistry is a Tupelo, MS dental office with a reputation for quality patient care. Dental services at North Mississippi Family Dentistry include:
- General dentistry
- Cosmetic dentistry
- Invisalign and veneers
- Dental bridges
- Implant restoration
- Nitrous and oral sedation
- Teeth grinding prevention and treatment
