A Guide for Battling Bruxism

The term “bruxism” is what your dentist refers to as grinding your teeth at night. Over 8% of adults suffer from it and it can cause future pains like headaches and tooth damage. As your Bloomfield Hills dentist, we don’t want you to have to battle bruxism forever. If you’re looking for some relief ideas, this guide is for you.

Breathe In…Breathe Out

Take another deep breath. Relaxing is so important.

A few deep breaths before bed can go a long way. Stress is arguably the number one cause of grinding your teeth at night. Your subconscious has been said to continue working on things that bother you or cause stress, and your body then acts on those stressors by grinding your teeth. If something’s on your mind, taking some time to breathe it out can be healthy.

Everyone’s stress relief remedy will be different. You may need to visit a professional psychologist to vocalize your stressors and work through them. Another idea is to adjust your nightly routine. Do something that calms you down and puts your mind at ease.

Here’s a quick list of tips:

Try Wearing a Mouth Guard

Protective options are sometimes the most intimidating for people, but they shouldn’t be. Custom night guards are completely normal and can free you from a lot of pain!

If you’re suffering from bruxism we may suggest a mouth guard to help prevent further oral damages. We don’t recommend wearing a store-bought mouth guard as they won’t fit your mouth specifically, which can cause future complications. A night guard is also different than a sports guard.

Bite Marks on Your Pen?

Do you chew on your pens? Or pencils? Or other thingy-ma-jigs that aren’t edible?

Chewing on objects can cause tooth pain and oral damage, and it can confuse your mind. When you munch on things that aren’t food throughout the day, your brain and jaw get used to clenching. This becomes a problem at night when you’re trying to relax, and your brain doesn’t know whether to bite down on something or not. To prevent this, try to find other ways to fidget, or chew on soft foods like bread or yogurt.

Here are a few of our fidgeting ideas you could have laying around your home or office:

Try Cutting Out Coffee and Alcohol

Our bodies have unique reactions to things like caffeine and alcohol. You may find yourself grinding your teeth at night more if you had that homebrew or glass of red. Or if you drink a lot of caffeine throughout the day, you may be feeling its ramifications while you sleep.

To save yourself from morning headaches and a painful jaw, try cutting these beverages out for a week or two.

Jaw Massaging

Taking five minutes to gently massage your jaw can help alleviate pressure and jaw pain.

As your Bloomfield Hills family dentistry, we recommend incorporating a hot washrag because the heat works to relax your mouth the same way you’d relax a muscle. If you don’t want to use a rag, you could try a heating pad or taking a hot shower or bath. Taking a hot bath or shower at night is another great way to calm yourself down before bed!

Avoid Chewing

Of course, you still have to eat. When we say to avoid chewing we mean chewing on things like snacks, gum, or other candies. Foods like steak, popcorn, and other extremely chewy things also might exhaust your jaw and hurt your teeth if you’ve been suffering from bruxism at night.

You don’t have to cut these foods out of your diet forever, but until you’re able to get back on a normal sleeping routine you might want to avoid them. Cutting them out won’t instantly cure you of bruxism, but it will help your jaw relax during the day, which can keep it from agitation at night.

Enjoy an Extracurricular Activity

If you didn’t know, healthy exercise and hobbies can help alleviate stress. Because most bruxism is caused by stress, these two tips are huge.

As your family dentistry, we want to encourage extracurricular activities. Fitting an exercise routine into your day (at least 15 minutes!) can work wonders for your mental health. A captivating hobby also gives you something to think about or look forward too, which works in battling stress. Rather than lying awake at night with worries, you can think about things you enjoy like sports, projects, or creative ideas.

Hypnosis

It may sound kind of crazy, but hypnosis is a way to help with bruxism. Don’t think sitting in a chair with a magician waving a spinning dial–it’s not like that. According to The Bruxism Association, hypnosis works as a behavioral approach to teeth grinding. By training your brain while awake, you can train your brain to not grind your teeth while asleep.

Ready to Beat Bruxism?

As your Bloomfield Hills, MI family dentist, Bloomfield Hills Dental Group wants to make sure all your dental needs are met. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us online or by phone at (248) 335-4427. If we haven’t met you yet, feel free to reach out and request an appointment!