What Clenching Your Teeth Can Do To You

Clenching your teeth, also known as bruxism, can be extremely damaging to your teeth, jaw and gums. Most people grind or clench their teeth subconsciously, most commonly at night while they are asleep.

This is why finding a solution to help minimize the damage done by bruxism is so important.

Clenching And Your Oral Health

Clenching your teeth is not good for oral health. It can strain your jaw muscles as well as chip, crack, fracture or even break, your teeth. Your teeth, while strong, are not invincible.

They are meant to withstand normal bite forces for short bursts, not extended periods of time, which is what happens when you clench your teeth. This can also lead to stress fractures within your jaw if you are not careful. Clenching is a much more serious problem that many people want to give it credit for.

What You Can Do
If you are having problems grinding or clenching your teeth, we highly recommend coming into our office immediately. Since most instances of clenching happen more often at night, it is likely a good idea that we fit you for a custom mouthguard.

A custom mouthguard is something that can only be done within our office, and provides you a comfortable, secure way to minimize the damage caused by clenching your teeth. While you can purchase mouthguards from most sporting goods stores, they are not designed for extended use, which is what a custom overnight mouthguard is for.

If you are noticing that your mouth and jaw hurt when you wake up in the morning or find that you are being woken up from your sleep by clenching or grinding your teeth, give us a call. We can help identify the reasons behind the clenching, evaluate the extent of the existing damage, and create a plan of action that will help protect your oral health.