Bruxism: Causes and Treatment

Bruxism, a sleeping disorder in which the sufferer grinds his teeth during sleep. If it is left untreated it may lead to headache, jaw pain and also wearing down of the teeth enamel which results in a sudden sensitivity to variations in temperature when you consume hot or cold foods. It can also cause tooth loss or broken fillings of the teeth.

The sufferer of Bruxism may find difficulty in identifying the symptoms of Bruxism if he/she sleeps alone, because a partner or a person who sleeps next to them can get annoyed by the sound caused due to continuous grinding of the teeth and hence it becomes easy to identify Bruxism at early stages. Or else, if a patient is suffering from painful jaws, tooth ache or frequent headaches when he/she gets up in the morning, then they need to be investigated for Bruxism.

Bruxism may be caused due to conditions known as sleep apnea and stress. Stress causes the jaws to get tense and as a result it causes continuous grinding of the teeth.

Find some effective ways of relieving stress so that you can overcome the Bruxism problem effectively. Stimulants like coffee, alcohol should not be taken two hours before going to bed since they trigger Bruxism.

One more factor that causes Bruxism is smoking. Smoking irritates the nasal passage lining and also throat that result in the blockages during the sleep. This indirectly leads to snoring and Bruxism.

If you suspect that you have a habit of grinding teeth during sleep, immediately make an appointment with your dentist so that he can check up the teeth and jaw alignment thereby he can figure out the root cause of the Bruxism easily. Filling of the half filled teeth has found out to be effective in avoiding grinding of the teeth.

Few doctors recommend mouth guards to prevent Bruxism during night. They also say that taking few medications such as anti depressants can trigger Bruxism. Hence, it is worth to consult your doctor before you follow these prescriptions.

Lack of calcium also leads to Bruxism. Include calcium based diets and calcium supplements so that your bones and teeth becomes strong enough and thus you can avoid problems like Bruxism and other teeth related problems. Calcium is abundantly present in diary products such as cheese, curd, milk etc.

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