Wearing down of your teeth or noticing the ends of your teeth chipping or cracking is a common occurrence. What most people don't realize though is that it's typically not linked to your diet. Usually excessive wear on the teeth is caused by tooth to tooth contact. This is known as bruxism (clenching or grinding your teeth). More often than not this occurs at night time during sleep as a way of tension release. Excessive wear on your teeth is just one of the many signs associated with clenching and grinding. Other common signs and symptoms include frequent headaches in the temple region, popping and clicking of the jaw joint, frequent bite marks on the insides of your cheeks and tension and soreness within the muscles of the jaw and face. Usually these signs and symptoms start out small and pain free, but if left untreated they can progress to fractured and broken teeth, arthritic changes to the jaw joint (TMJ) and migraine type headaches.
Fortunately the treatment for clenching and grinding is conservative and cost effective. The key is treating it early and taking a preventative approach. This usually involves having a custom splint (or bite guard) made to wear at night or throughout the day as needed. There are many materials, designs and types to choose from. It's important to have your dentist design a splint that appropriately addresses your concerns.
Be proactive and start protecting your teeth and smile today by giving us a call for a free consult at (616) 284-3200!
