Do you wake up with a sore jaw or a mild headache?
Chances are, you might be suffering from bruxism, the medical term for teeth
grinding. According to the National Sleep Foundation, over 8 percent of
American adults suffer from teeth grinding, and while this might be a natural
reaction to stress or anxiety, bruxism usually occur during sleep.
At times bruxism might only be an annoyance, but severe
cases could lead to serious dental problems. Dentists highly recommend getting
a night guard, a type of mouth guard you wear before going to bed so as to
protect your teeth. Then again, how will you know for certain that your case of
bruxism is severe enough to warrant a night guard, aside from nagging headaches
and a painful jaw in the morning?
Have
you chipped a tooth or two?
The constant back and forth grinding of your teeth
can wear down the enamel, the hardest part of your teeth. You’ll know that your
case of teeth grinding is severe when it has already chipped a tooth or two,
and a night guard can protect other teeth from suffering the same damage.
Are
you taking antidepressants?
Paroxetine, one of the active ingredients in most
antidepressants, can cause nighttime teeth grinding, and having a night guard
can help protect your teeth from this side effect.
Bruxism might be common among people, but it can
have an adverse effect on your oral health, especially when you don’t do anything
to deal with it.
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