Stop Teeth Grinding and Start Living Again

It's understandable why people become obsessed with learning how to stop grinding teeth. Once you've experienced the daily headaches, damaged teeth and chronic facial pain brought on by bruxism teeth grinding, you know how debilitating the condition can be. Bruxism has the power to impact every aspect of your life from what you eat to the very appearance of your face. Fortunately, it's often possible to learn how to stop grinding teeth on your own or with the assistance of a dentist.

Many people learn how to stop grinding teeth through behavior modification. Here are some tips that may help you control or stop teeth grinding.

Cut out caffeine. Avoid food and drinks containing caffeine. This includes colas, coffee, tea, high-energy drinks, powdered cream substitutes and anything containing chocolate.

Avoid alcohol. Drinking alcohol intensifies the tendency to grind your teeth.

Don't chew on non-food items. Chewing on non-food items like ice, pencils, pens and even fingernails increases the likelihood of bruxism.

Stop chewing gum. Chewing gum actually encourages jaw clenching, which can aggravate your bruxism. 

Drink plenty of water. Dental health professionals believe dehydration may be related to bruxism. Keep hydrated if you want to stop teeth grinding.

Be mindful. Some people stop teeth grinding by teaching themselves to not clench their jaw. Whenever you notice that you're bruxing, make a conscious effort to stop. Concentrate on positioning the tip of your tongue upward with your teeth apart and your lips closed. With enough practice you may be able to train your jaw to relax and learn how to stop grinding your teeth.

Apply a warm compress. A classic way to stop teeth grinding is to relax the jaw by applying a warm, wet washcloth to your cheek in front of the earlobe. A compress will be more effective when used in conjunction with massage and jaw stretching exercises.

Try relaxing. Since bruxism is often stress related, you may find relief through a variety of relaxation techniques, including meditation, exercise, listening to music or taking a warm bath before bedtime.

Don't hesitate to seek professional help if you are unable to stop teeth grinding using the above techniques. It can take an expert to teach you how to stop grinding your teeth. Dentists are bruxism experts. In fact, a significant portion of their training involves learning how to stop grinding teeth in their patients.

Dentists know the key to controlling bruxism is determining whether the root causes are physical, psychological or a combination of factors. A thorough dental examination will be necessary to properly diagnosis the problem. This involves taking a medical history in which you'll be asked about your general health, use of prescription and over the counter medications, alcohol and caffeine consumption and stress levels. Next, there will be a physical examination during which the dentist will look for tenderness in your jaw muscles, broken teeth or missing teeth, and poor tooth alignment. If it's determined that your tooth grinding is related to dental problems, X-rays and a closer examination of your "bite" may be in order.

After determining the factors responsible for your bruxism, your dentist will recommend one of the following treatment plans to help you stop teeth grinding:

Resolving Dental Problems - Misaligned teeth and abnormal bites are common causes of bruxism. Dentists use occlusal therapy to correct these problems. In some instances, reducing the high points of a tooth with a filling is all it takes to stop teeth grinding. With more complex cases, occlusal therapy can be quite extensive and may involve the use of onlays, dental crowns and orthodontics to completely reshape the biting surfaces of your mouth.

Stress Management - Stress is a leading cause of bruxism. Learning to manage your stress can show you how to stop grinding your teeth. Physical therapy, stress counseling, psychotherapy and biofeedback have proven to be effective at controlling stress-related teeth grinding. If these methods prove ineffectual muscle relaxants may be prescribed to ease the spasm causing the clenched jaw.

Medication - Bruxism can be a side-effect of antidepressant medications. If this is the case, the prescribing doctor can switch you to a different drug or order a medication to help stop teeth grinding.

Brain Injury Therapy - It's particularly difficult to stop teeth grinding when the bruxism is related to a brain injury or a neuromuscular illness. If conventional dental treatments fail, injections of botulinum toxin in the jaw may be prescribed.

Custom-made bruxism mouthguards and dental splints are two proven tools dentist use to stop teeth grinding from ruining your teeth, gums and dental work. Worn at night -- the most damaging effects of bruxism typically take place while you're asleep -- these dental appliances stop teeth grinding by preventing your top and bottom teeth from making contact with each other. While the results are immediate, it's important to know that mouth guards may not relieve the underlying causes of bruxism.

Bothersome as it is, bruxism is a dental condition that responds well to professional treatment.

To find a dentist who can help you learn how to stop grinding your teeth, search now or call 1-866-970-0441.