Bruxism, known as the habit of grinding teeth, is a harmful condition that many people suffer from.
Teeth grinding can put significant pressure on your teeth, causing fractures, gingivitis, and even loosening of the teeth. Bruxism usually happens during sleep, but there are people who grind their teeth during the day. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to reduce bruxism and protect your teeth from damage.
Identify Triggers and Reduce Stress
Stress can cause muscle tension and is one of the main causes of bruxism. However, bruxism can also result in teeth grinding, causing an aching jaw or headache.
Reducing your stress can be a useful practice to help you control bruxism, especially if you are experiencing chronic stress. Part of stress reduction may involve identifying your triggers, such as what is stressing or irritating you if you unknowingly grind your teeth during the day. Pay attention to stress triggers throughout the day to see if you can spot common ones.
Do Daily Chin Exercises
For some people, jaw exercises can help relieve tension in the jaw muscles and help improve bruxism. Try gently stretching your jaw by opening and closing your mouth while pressing the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth near your front teeth. Stretching these muscles daily, especially during times of tension, stress, or other triggers, can be an important component of managing bruxism.
Other Exercises You Can Try Include:
- Gently stretch your chin throughout the day
- Practice proper posture to avoid strain on your shoulders, neck and jaw.
- Keep your thumb under your chin, apply some pressure to your chin as you open your chin and hold for a few seconds.
These exercises can also help along with other treatments for bruxism.
Physical Therapy or Massage
Physical therapy to help relieve tension in the jaw can help with bruxism, especially if you and your dentist have identified stress as the primary cause of teeth grinding. A physical therapist may also work with you on exercises specific to your jaw pain rather than general exercises. Massage therapy can also help relieve tension, especially chronic tension in the jaw muscles. You can also try self-massaging the area near your jaw joints by gently massaging to identify tight or painful areas.
Contact Your Dentist
There are many factors that can play a role in teeth grinding, and identifying the cause behind bruxism with the help of your oral hygienist is important to finding an effective treatment. Talk to your dentist about your grinding habits and whether you can benefit from a special mouth guard or other treatment to help protect your smile.