Current Dentistry
Your Bite Through These Tough Economic Times
How many of you are changing jobs; either by choice or by demand. You find out that your dental insurance will run out with this change. Might as well go to the dentist for a cleaning and an exam. It should be a simple exam, nothing hurts. At the end of the exam the dentist tell you that you are grinding your teeth at night. Nobody has told you this was a problem. What to do???
Sign Of The Times?
For many years dentist as a profession have warned our patients of the possible damage of tooth grinding. However, when we have more things to worry about than normal we can maximize the damage being done while we sleep. In these tough economic times, people have more things on their mind than ever. These subconscious thoughts don’t allow us to get rest while we sleep. These thoughts keep our brain activity maximized leading to increased tooth grinding activity.
About Your Bite
The way your teeth hit each other is very specific. If they don’t hit in an ideal position, the muscles that put the jaws together send a message to the brain saying, “hey, I am not comfortable”. The brain then send a message back telling the muscles to get comfortable. This is the main reason you grind your teeth. You might do it during the day or while you sleep.
Do I Grind My Teeth
There are many signs that you grind your teeth. If you wake up in the morning with neck pains, are the muscles in your face a little tender in the morning. Are your teeth extra sensitive in the morning? Does your partner say that you make weird noises as you sleep? Sometimes, you might wake up and have loss of sensation down to your finger tips. These are all signs that you are not getting rest while you sleep.
How can I fix This?
There are many ways to correct your bite. The most popular is with the use of standard orthodontics, which on the average takes about 2 years to correct. You may chose clear aligners, like Invisalign. These clear aligners treatment takes about 12 months on average to complete the movement. Another solution is what is called an Occlusal Adjustment. This treatment is done by having the patient bite, the doctor evaluates the bite and adjust it. This is done with the dental drill, by doing selective tooth grinding. The result is maximizing the number o surfaces that hit when the patient chews. The difference between the Occulsal adjustment and the patient grinding, is that the adjustment is selective while grinding is destructive. occlusal adjustmentWhen these treatments are complete the patient should get a night gaurd to assist in reprogramming the muscles, while you sleep.
Do I Need To Correct My Teeth Grinding Habit?
If nothing is done to stop your teeth from grinding, you will cause further damage to the teeth and surrounding hard and soft tissues. By having a tooth that hits before every other tooth, that tooth is taking more pressure than was intended. This will cause severe wear on the top of the tooth, maybe even fracture the tooth. The bone will receive more pressure and cause the bone and gums to go south. If left unattended, this problem can lead to broken teeth and may get to severe abrasion, were the teeth are worn down to the gums.
What Should I Do?
It is highly recommended that you visit a dentist every six months. Visit a dental professional tell him your symptoms. Doctors are not mind readers, we can only work with the information the patient gives us. Get informed of what is going on in your mouth. Remember, in dentistry, we recommend preventive treatment. Many times when the patient comes to the dentist in pain, treatments have gotten complicated. Prevent getting complicated, get diagnosed and treated before it becomes a problem.
Published by Dr. David Silber, DMD
Tags: acclusal adjustment, bite adjustment, clear aligners, clear choice, david silber, Early Prevention, Easy Procedures, invisalign, malocclusion, Minimally Abrasive, Minimally Invasive, Modern Treatments, nightgaurd, occlusion, ortho, orthodontic movement, orthodontics, preventive dentistry, Uptown dental care and spa
