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Grinding Your Teeth- What You Can Do About It

2nd July, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

It wouldn’t be a surprise if you are trying to find a way to stop grinding your teeth. This isn’t a rare condition because at least 20% of adults experience it at night, not to mention the hundreds of adolescents and kids who have the problem too. Also, many others have had to deal with it during the day. Since bruxism can damage or wear out the teeth, you would do well to look for an appropriate solution.

Relaxation Technique

One suspected cause of bruxism is stress. Under stressful conditions, the jaw muscles start to grow tense and clenching begins. You can help yourself deal with both stress and muscle tension through progressive muscle relaxation. This is a procedure in which an individual who suffers from the constant grinding of teeth imagines and practices gradually loosening the muscles. You can start off by clenching and unclenching your jaws until you are able to come to a point where unclenching or jaw relaxation occurs for a longer period of time. If you feel that your entire body is tense, you can perform this method for your whole body including your jaw muscles. This is such a simple technique that you can do this while sitting at your work station or performing a routine work task.

Counseling Sessions

There may be many psychological reasons behind stress and tension. If you have deep issues, the act of grinding your teeth may only be one of a handful of symptoms or complications. You can deal with this condition best if you choose to undergo therapy or counseling sessions. Once you are able to handle and manage your inner issues, you will also be able to most likely automatically resolve teeth grinding.

Soothing Habits

There’s no need to pay a therapists hundreds of dollars if your problem stems mainly from insomnia that is caused by bad habits. You may become tense for example and start teeth grinding because your late night TV and coffee drinking habits are robbing you of your sleep. You can substitute these habits and stop the grinding of teeth with good habits that promote evening relaxation such as drinking milk, taking a dip in the bathtub and popping in a soothing CD.

Aligning Teeth

Aside from stress, grinding may also be the result of badly aligned teeth. Bruxism is the result of an individual’s attempt to find a better bite or to make the jaw feel more comfortable. You can ask your dentist Melbourne practitioner if there are corrective solutions for this. You might want to consider wearing braces or having some of your teeth filed.

Grind Guards

It’s not uncommon for someone with bite problems to opt for a teeth grinding guard. There are many different types that you can choose from. Guards can be rubber or plastic, single or double wall, custom or readymade and day or night types. Many individuals do well with over the counter units but if you find these affordable options uncomfortable, your only real alternative is to have your teeth custom fitted. A dentist can do this for you by taking an impression of your teeth and molding a unit based specifically on the shape and structure of your teeth.

You can stop grinding your teeth. All that you really need to do is to find which solution fits you best. Don’t let this problem ruin your oral assets or cause more distress.