Tooth Troubles: Don't Grind Yourself Down ,Health, -

Everyone handles stress differently. Some developan ulcer, others get
high blood pressure, and then there are those who grind their teeth.
Thoughteeth grinding (medicallycalled bruxism) won't cause a heart
attack, it can permanently damageyour teeth, or even worse, it can
cause you to lose your teeth.
"The dangerous thing about teeth grinding is that the grinder might
not even know they are doing it since it often occurs during sleep,"
saysDr. Wang Chen, deputy medical director and general dentist at SDM
Dental. "Occasional teeth grinding doesn't usually cause harm, but the
problems start to arise when it occurs on a regular basis and for a
long period of time."
But if it happens while we're sleeping, how are we supposed to know
we're doing it? Many times people learn that they grind their teeth
from their loved one whohears the grinding at night, but for those who
are solo, it's the feeling the morning after that makes their teeth
grinding problems apparent to them.
Signs of teeth grinding
"The telltale signs of teeth grinding usually are a constant headache,
sore jaw and sometimes even pains and stiffness in the neck, shoulders
and back since your mouth is clenched so tightly during the night,"
says Dr. Wang. "But, if nottreated early on, chronic teeth grinders
have the potential to wear down their teeth to little stumps,
eventually have teeth fall out, can affect their hearing, cause or
worsen temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and evenchange the appearance
of the face."
Though the two main culprits behind teeth grinding are stress and
anxiety, having an abnormal bite where the teeth do not line up
properly, or having missing or crooked teeth can also be reasons why
teeth grinders grind. "It'stheir body's unconscious response to try to
even out and get a good balance in their teeth," he says.
Solutions
Thankfully, fixing this problem is pretty quick and painless: get a
mouthguard. And it does exactlywhat its name says—it guards your
mouth. Though it's not the most flattering accessory to have in your
purse, it willsave your smile. It just takes a quick trip to the
dentist for a fitting.
But since teeth grinding is also caused by stress, Dr. Wang also
recommends talking to a doctor or dentist about ways to try to reduce
stress. From stress counseling to practicing yoga to cleaning up your
diet, there are many different ways to lessen stress.
"It's best to also avoid, or at least cut back on foodsand drinks that
contain caffeine like soda, chocolate, tea and coffee," says Dr. Wang.
"Smoking is also something that should belimited because it stimulates
the central nervous system, heart and respiratory system and you don't
want to have all those things running full force when you're
sleeping."