Teeth Grinding Baltimore, MD

Bruxism is a condition in which you clench or grind your teeth, which mostly happens while you sleep. Bruxism, or teeth grinding, affects millions of people.

While occasional teeth grinding may not require treatment, chronic teeth grinding can lead to serious issues. For example, jaw disorders, headaches, damaged teeth, and other problems.

Your experienced dentists in Baltimore, MD at Cosmetic & Advanced Dentistry can help you address your teeth grinding habit. We will address all dental issues quickly and effectively. Schedule a dental exam today if you are suffering from bruxism. Tooth grinding is one of the dental concerns we treat in Baltimore County, Maryland.

Treatment For Teeth Grinding at Our Dental Office

Teeth grinding can cause a lot of damage to your teeth. We recommend treating it immediately. In addition to teeth damage, bruxism can cause harm to your gums and jaw. We have a number of teeth-grinding treatment options for people who have bruxism.

The most important step in treatment is to stop teeth grinding. We can accomplish this by using an oral appliance such as a night guard or mouthguard for grinding teeth. These are custom, removable dental appliances made to fit snugly and protect your teeth from grinding together. You will wear them while you are sleeping, and even during stressful events.

Bite Alignment Therapy

Bite Alignment Therapy is a dental treatment that helps patients with malocclusions. This treatment may involve using braces to move your teeth into the appropriate position. Your dentist will also recommend treatment to correct the source of the problem.

Other sources of teeth grinding include environmental factors, stress, or TMJ disorders. We can correct teeth using proper alignment techniques and clear aligners, dental crowns, dental veneers, or dental implants.

Teeth Grinding Mouthguard

Dr. Lazer or Dr. Doroshenko can create a custom oral appliance to prevent damage. A mouthguard for teeth grinding is one of the most common treatments for bruxism. These are removable appliances that are custom-made to fit over your teeth and prevent teeth grinding.

You will wear teeth grinding mouthguards mostly at night. Although some patients benefit from wearing mouthguards during the day. For example, particularly in high-stress situations such as while driving.

Repair Worn Teeth Damage

We provide a number of ways to fix worn down teeth. After we address the root issue, we can provide repair services for worn, chipped, or broken teeth. Our restorative dentist will repair any teeth that have damage from teeth grinding using options such as porcelain veneers.

One of the best options for minor wear is a dental filling and bonding. Our dentist fills in the tooth with a composite resin compound. An option for severe wear that affects your roots is either a root canal procedure, or a tooth extraction. We can replace the tooth with a dental implant or bridge.

The most popular way to fix worn down teeth is by getting porcelain veneers or crowns put on them. Dental crowns will perfectly restore your teeth and give you that perfect smile you are looking for.

Signs And Symptoms Of Teeth Grinding

Most people are grinding and clenching their teeth in their sleep, sometimes without even realizing it. Routine visits to the dentist are important to screen for signs of teeth grinding and signs of damage. Many patients affected by bruxism experience:

  • Worn, flattened, fractured or chipped teeth
  • Worn tooth enamel or tooth loss
  • Tooth sensitivity
  • Jaw pain or tightness in the jaw muscles
  • Earache
  • Headache
  • Facial pain
  • Damaged tissue on the inside of your cheek

Teeth Grinding Causes

Stress is the most common cause for grinding teeth. Patients who have stress-induced teeth grinding benefit from biofeedback, yoga, anxiety medication, or other methods of stress relief. Other teeth grinding causes may include:

  • Malocclusion (improper alignment of teeth)
  • Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD)
  • Sleep disorders
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Huntington’s Disease
  • Anxiety, Stress or Tension

Teeth Grinding FAQs

Discover more about teeth grinding with answers to these frequently asked questions:

Is teeth grinding damage permanent?

Teeth grinding damage is permanent. You are causing direct damage to their surfaces when you are grinding or clenching them. This action removes tooth enamel, which will not grow back.

What vitamin deficiency causes teeth grinding?

Being deficient in vitamin D and calcium is one of the causes of teeth grinding. Both of these vitamins lead to bone health. Being deficient in them weakens bone and enamel, making teeth more prone to damage when you grind your teeth.

How do you stop teeth grinding?

The best way to prevent damage from teeth grinding is to wear a night guard. Dentists can custom fit one to your mouth so that it is comfortable to wear while you sleep. Dentists also recommend exercise, jaw massages and stretches, removing stress, and avoiding chewy foods to help stop grinding teeth.

Can teeth heal from grinding?

Teeth do not recover from grinding damage on their own. You can prevent further damage by wearing a night guard at night to protect the surface of teeth. Patients can also attempt to reduce stress to lessen the frequency of when they grind their teeth.

What happens if you don’t stop grinding your teeth?

If patients do not stop grinding their teeth, they may suffer from other oral health issues. Issues such as muscular tension, jaw clicking and popping, TMJ issues, and restricted jaw motion. Patients can wear a night guard or get treatment to lessen the effects of their grinding. Protect your teeth against further damage by addressing the root of the problem.

Is teeth grinding related to stress?

Stress and anxiety commonly cause teeth grinding. Patients may not notice it, but when stress happens in humans, they are more prone to experience muscular tension. One of the most common places this is experience is within one’s mouth. Patients grind their teeth or clench their jaw as a response to stress.

Teeth Grinding Bruxism infographic

Schedule A Teeth Grinding Evaluation

Get treatments for teeth grinding in Owings Mills, MD, and Baltimore at Cosmetic & Advanced Dentistry. Our dentists will be able to tell if you have been grinding your teeth and if any damage is present. We gladly welcome new patients and out-of-town patients.

Call us at (410) 697-6290 or request an appointment online.