Snoring at night can be disturbing but bruxism is another problem. Grinding of teeth in sleep is clinically termed as sleep bruxism. It is considered as both a medical and a dental concern that needs to be remedied.
Sleep bruxism or gnashing of teeth in sleep is when you clench your jaw and make a grinding sound with your teeth. The teeth are clamped together with such a force that a low grating sound is heard and the jaw muscles are contracted. Upon waking up, you will feel pain in your jaw part or headaches.
Physicians say that grinding teeth especially during sleep is caused primarily by stress, anxiety or depression during the day. Some medicines for psychotropic treatment are given by doctors for severe depression and these medicines may be a factor while gnashing of teeth at night happens. But dental practitioners think that teeth grinding can be due to some dental problems such as misaligned teeth. There are other factors too like improper posture, some eating disorders, drinking caffeine and alcohol, including violent behavior.
Whatever the reasons are for gnashing of teeth in sleep, it’s surely not good for your teeth. Teeth grinding in sleep is an involuntary action of the jaw muscles because it happens while you are sleeping. The action puts ten times the pressure on your teeth than chewing your food. Many people with sleep bruxism have noticeably poor teeth; they have chipped, flat and worn down teeth. They may also complain of sensitivity to cold especially when drinking cold beverages.
How do you remedy sleep bruxism? Gnashing of teeth for a long time can cause irreparable damage to your teeth but you can avoid further dental problems.
If teeth grinding is due to stress, try some relaxation techniques. You can enroll or do yoga, meditate, listen to music or exercise. You can also seek professional counseling to manage your stress. To ease the soreness of your jaw in the morning, massage your facial muscles in the jaw line.
How to Cure Sleep Bruxism
Here’s a quick list of simple remedies for sleep bruxism that you can follow. For more comprehensive details on these remedies, be sure to browse the rest of this website.
- Chew fruits and vegetables before bedtime like apple, carrot or cauliflower can exercise your mouth and gums. This will calm your mouth muscles and you will not grind teeth during sleep.
- Put a warm washcloth around your face. You can simply dip the washcloth in lukewarm water and the warm temperature will lessen headache as well as relax your jaw muscles. Do it every night and you will find release from grinding teeth grinding.
- Have a warm massage and a warm bath. It helps to relax your muscles in the mouth.
- Lie on your back flat to avoid grating your teeth. This is the most relaxing way to sleep.
- Before sleeping, drink a glass of warm milk or herb tea . It has always been proven effective that warm milk or drinks can make you sleep better.
- Calcium and magnesium supplements prevent the wearing off of teeth which may weaken the enamel caused by habitual gnashing of teeth.
- Smoking and drinking alcohol should be avoided. These also cause bruxism. Drinking coffee before bedtime must also be avoided.
Dentists can help you with sleep bruxism. Visit your dentist if you think you are gnashing of teeth in sleep. They usually recommend mouth guards not to stop teeth grinding but to control or prevent damaging your teeth more.