Grinding Your Teeth

Bruxism is a fancy name of teeth grinding or the gnashing of teeth. Bruxism is identified as a sleep disorder. Certainly, the sleep partner who lays awake at night listening to it thinks of it as a sleep disorder because most people gnash their teeth in their sleep.

Bruxism is also a dental problem. When a person gnashes their teeth, they are slowly grinding the protective enamel away leaving their mouth wide open for bacterial and tooth decay.

Many dentists have reported an increase in patients who are suffering from bruxism over the last eighteen months, which is possibly due to stress from the recession. Dentists reveal that many of these patients are the financial sector such as bank workers and fund managers.

The recession has brought many problems for people who are finding it hard to cope with work, if they have a job, and financial problems like paying bills, whether they have a job or not.

The British Dental Health Federation confirmed the increase in bruxism by the number of calls it is getting on its helpline. The helpline suggests relaxation, corrective exercises and counseling to address the root cause of the stress.

Many dentists are prescribing mouth guards for patients to wear while they are sleeping.

Symptoms of bruxism are aching or tired jaw muscles and painful jaw spasms. There may also be a pain in the ribs from a spouses well-aimed elbow. If you are a tooth grinder, make an appointment to visit your dentist.

Looking after your natural teeth while you still have them can only be done by maintaining a decent diet, a good, daily oral hygiene regimen and regular checkups with your dentist. Dental checkups are complete within a half hour and are very inexpensive. You can even get your dental insurance to pay for for a check-up or oral hygiene visit and really put a smile on your face.