When you grind your teeth, this could not only create a sound that irritates your significant other, but could damage your smile. You could find yourself vulnerable to tooth decay and even dental infections! In today’s blog, your Charles City, IA, dentist talks about treating your bruxism with a custom and comfortable oral appliance.
The Causes and Warning Signs of Bruxism
Bruxism, or chronic teeth grinding, can occur due to high levels of stress in your daily life, or even due to changes in your bite balance. For example, factors could include missing teeth, misalignment, injury to the jaw or face, or even issues with the growth of the jaw or eruption of the teeth. While the causes vary, the warning signs tend to include tooth sensitivity, toothaches, headaches and migraines, and jaw and facial pain. If you have encountered one or more of these symptoms, then consider reaching out to our team for a diagnosis today!
Damage to Your Smile
The constant pressure from grinding and clenching your teeth will wear down tooth structure and potentially damage your teeth, which exposes the sensitive inner tissues to bacteria. As a result, your teeth could appear shorter, and you could develop tooth decay and infection, and without care, risk the loss of your natural teeth. When you see us, we will carefully examine your smile with advanced imaging technology, looking for the tell-tale wear and friction that indicates bruxism. We then choose the most appropriate treatment option for your smile!
Treatment with an Oral Appliance
An oral appliance is often used to bring relief to your smile. This custom device is crafted or your smile based on the detailed digital images and impressions we gather of your bite. The completed appliance will look like a mouthguard and fits like one too, worn as you sleep at night. The device then repositions the jaw to ease strain, and also puts a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage. We could also offer relief by replacing missing teeth with dental implants, correcting misalignment with orthodontics, or even improving bite balance with crowns, contouring, or bonding procedures.
If you have any questions about how our team identifies and treats issues like teeth grinding, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help keep your smile healthy and strong for years to come.
Schedule You’re a Visit With Central Park Dentistry In Charles City, IA
We want to help you enjoy a healthy and beautiful smile for years to come by treating concerns like bruxism, and preventing damage to your smile. To arrange your diagnosis for bruxism, give us a call at Central Park Dentistry in Charles City, IA at (641)228-1115!
