Teeth Grinding

Medically called bruxism, teeth grinding cases stem from stress or anxiety that affects people subconsciously while they are asleep.

This habit can cause damage to the teeth or cause other complications if not treated.

There are many reasons why people grind their teeth:

Mental and emotional causes:

• Stressful lifestyle - Teeth grinding is our bodies way of dealing with stress, pressure or negative emotions.
• Sleep disorder - People who snore, talk or sleep paralysis are more likely to grind their teeth.
• Suppressed anger - People experiencing frustration are likely to come down with teeth grinding episodes.

Physical causes:

• Teething - Often experienced by kids, the pain associated with it causes the grinding of the jaw during sleep.
• Medications - Side affects of certain medications like antidepressants causes people to grind their teeth.
• Dehydration - Everyday habits like smoking and drinking coffee or alcohol can dehydrate a person, which can cause teeth grinding episodes.

Depending on the cause there are many ways that can help relieve the pain, reduce clenching and prevent damage to the teeth.

• Stressed? - See a counselor, relax your muscles by doing yoga or meditation therapy.
• Dental Problems? - Talk your your dentist - maybe you need occlusal therapy, which might help align your teeth.
• Take medications? - Talk to your doctor about side effects to prevent teeth grinding.