Grinding of the teeth is a serious problem for some people, and therefore, it needs to be treated properly. Most of the people actually grind their teeth from time to time, which is both annoying and troublesome. Anyhow, occasional grinding of the teeth is not that harmful, but if you happen to grind your teeth on a regular basis then that can cause some serious problems.
Namely, grinding of the teeth is called bruxism and it can damage teeth and other parts of your mouth badly. Now, we are going to see some of the best treatments for teeth grinding. Let’s begin.
Table of Contents
What Makes People Grind Their Teeth?
Since teeth grinding usually happens at night or when the person sleeps, it is not that easy to acknowledge it at the beginning. Teeth grinding can be caused by anxiety, so in order to prevent it, it is recommendable to go to bed relaxed and happy. But, we can’t choose how we go to bed sometimes, and therefore, teeth grinding happens.
Also, some studies show that teeth grinding happens because of the crooked teeth or sleep disorder as well. In that case, person who is grinding their teeth needs to visit the dentist to get help in the best possible way.
How to Find Out if you Grind Your Teeth?
Well, there are plenty of ways to find out if you are grinding your teeth. Usually, people that grind their teeth in sleep are notified of this behavior by their loved ones. It is common that your loved one, who you share your bad with, will tell you if they hear some strange grinding noises at night.
But, the problem is that most of the people are unaware of their teeth grinding problem. In that case, a dull and constant headache is the best indicator of bruxism. Namely, if you happen to wake up every morning with a headache and a sore jaw, you should probably check yourself up for bruxism.
If you think that you are one of the people that grind their teeth at night, it is recommendable to talk to your dentist. That way, the dentist will tell you about the signs of bruxism if you have one.
How to Stop Grinding your Teeth at Night
Since you can’t control teeth grinding, it is not that easy to stop it. But, there is a way of getting passed the teeth grinding. Let’s see
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Avoid food with caffeine
As we all know, caffeine is the reason why you stay awake at nights for so long sometimes. But, after you fall asleep with some amount of caffeine in your system, your body will still be awake for some time. This means, that teeth grinding will possibly occur if you are taking caffeine regularly.
In other words, you should cut back or avoid foods like chocolate, coffee, colas, and lots of other high-caffeine foods. This treatment might not work instantly, but over time, you will definitely stop teeth grinding.
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Alcohol is also bad
If you tend to drink sometimes you should know that alcohol tends to intensify the teeth grinding problem. Now, it is absolutely acceptable to get a drink or two, but be reasonable about the amount of alcohol you drink. However, if you tend to party every weekend, you will definitely grind your teeth in your sleep.
The bad part about alcohol is that it will create a habit for your body to grind teeth. Simply speaking, even if you start using alcohol, it is quite hard to stop grinding your teeth. So, it is definitely recommendable to stop drinking any alcoholic drinks in order to prevent teeth grinding in the first place.
On the other hand, if you are already a teeth grinder who drinks alcohol from time to time, then we suggest that you stop with the alcohol consummation. Also, talk to your dentist about the problem and get some professional advice.
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Avoid chewing
If you have a habit of chewing a pencil or gums, it is highly recommendable to stop doing it as soon as possible. Namely, chewing will allow your jaw muscles to get used to grinding of your teeth. Therefore, it is a bad thing to chew something during the day.
To be perfectly clear, it is acceptable to chew the food that you need to eat, obviously. Don’t hold back on your chewing when you eat, it will not help if you don’t chew the food. Also, avoid a bit hard and hard-to-chew foods, since that way, your jaw muscles will get stronger and the grinding will be even worse.
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Relax your jaw muscles
One of the best ways to stop grinding your teeth is to relax your jaw muscles at night before you go to sleep. Namely, you can use a warm piece of cloth and press it against your cheeks in order to relax your jaw muscles. This way, you will make sure that your jaw muscles are relaxed and that there won’t be any teeth grinding during your sleep.
If you want, you can always massage your jaw muscles as well. For that, you can use your thumbs and press your jaw muscles slowly for about 3 to 5 minutes every night. This will also help in order to stop your teeth grinding at night.
However, if you still grind your teeth at night after doing these two helpful things, it is recommendable to visit the dentist and listen to what he has to say.
Conclusion
In the light of everything we said above, teeth grinding is serious disorder that can damage your teeth badly. Not only that, teeth grinding can also affect your dental health in general as well. However, we have provided you with the information about how to stop grinding your teeth in the sleep naturally, so it is up to you now.
With these tips, you will definitely stop grinding your teeth in your sleep, and therefore, you will save your teeth some trouble.
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