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Action Plan for Bruxism
What you can do to help stop grinding your teeth: Because stress is such a common cause of bruxism, many dentists will recommend stress-reduction and relaxation techniques to help you reduce your nighttime grinding. Your dentist may also advise you on how to correctly rest your mouth, teeth and lips to avoid discomfort. He or she may also suggest biofeedback techniques to help you diminish muscle activity when the biting force is too great.
What you can do to help minimize further damage and pain? If these methods don't provide enough relief, the dentist may create a custom-fitted plastic appliance for you to wear on your teeth at night (called an orthosis), which will absorb the damaging forces of teeth against teeth. Unfortunately, these devices are very costly, ranging anywhere from $300 to $750. Until recently, these devices were the only type of plastic mouthguards available for treating bruxism. However, a new option is now available that offers the same protection at a much lower cost: The Doctor's® NightGuard.
Because an abnormal bite may cause bruxism, your dentist may also take steps to correct the problem, such as removing "high spots" on the chewing or biting surfaces, or reshaping and reconstrucing the biting surfaces with inlays or crowns.
For information in print, check the library of your local hospital for:
"An Overview of Bruxism and Its Management," by Ronald Attanasio, DDS, in Dental Clinics of North
America 1997, volume 41, issue 2, pages 229-241."Grinding Down," by D. Blore, in Nursing Times 1995, volume 91, issue 26, pages 46-47.
The Ultimate Resource for Night Time Teeth Grinding is provided by Dental Concepts, the leading marketer of professional quality, at-home dental products and accessories.
