Research shows that stress can make it difficult for our bodies to fight all infections, including periodontal disease and heart disease. Teeth grinding is an indication of stress.
The following techniques may help you stop grinding your teeth:
1. Find ways to reduce your stress level and relax.
2. Avoid or limit the amount of caffeine and alcohol you consume.
3. Ask your dentist about the use of a night guard.
4. If an abnormal bite is the cause of teeth grinding, your dentist can treat the improper alignment.
Teeth grinding is treatable and usually begins with a custom-made, plastic mouth guard that is worn while sleeping. Less intrusive and effective methods involve biofeedback and behavior modifications such as tongue exercises and learning how to properly align your tongue, teeth and lips. (Some of these methods are expensive.)
Constant teeth grinding will cause more stress and grinding if you wait too long. See your dental professional now.
Keep smiling.
Saundra Goodman
Got Teeth? A Survivor's Guide
How to keep yor teeth or live without them.
http://www.gotteethguide.com/ for your Free Tips.
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2 comments:
Saundra,
I notice that you are in Christina's Website Creation Workshop, as am I. I was checking out several of the "walls" on the workshop site, and saw your posts. As a "supergeneralist" dentist, I found your blog posts quite interesting. A couple of comments:
1. From reading several of your post, it is great to see your push to get people to take their dental health seriously. Many more need to read these things. It is unfortunate that dentists are kept busy by apathy and ingnorance.
Keep up the good work!
2. As to your recommendation that people should schedule with a periodontist, I think you do a disservice to knowledgable general dentists and hygienists who are up to date with current new research in the Oral Systemic Connection. Unfortunately, just as many general dentists are not current, many periodontists are not quite up to speed as much as you think (I work with several of them and there is a wide range of practice).
There are many general dental practices that have strong perio programs in place, and these offices may be ahead of the periodontists. For example, we just implemented the BANA test with our perio patients, and are planning to add inoffice blood testing for both CRP and Hb A1C later this year.
Many M.D.'s are not up to speed on the risk factors of perio and CRP related to heart disease.
The Centers For Dental Medicine is one group that is working with general dental practices to implement these latest findings and treatment approaches.
3. Your comments about nocturnal bruxism are quite detailed, but one of the newest relationships to this habit can be added.
Recent research in Sleep Medicine is showing that bruxism is an indicator of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. There are, of course, others, including the most common one of significant snoring.
We are one of not very many dental offices nationally, and the only one in our area, working with our physicians to treat patients diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and who cannot tolerate a CPAP with specific Oral Appliances that gently position the lower jaw forward at night. This pulls the tongue forward off the back of the throat and prevents it from falling back and closing the airway.
This might be a good topic to bring to your readers attention. OSA is far more common than people realize. Only about 10-15% of people with are being diagnosed. Just as many ignore the signs of perio, they ignore the warning signs and indicators or OSA. OSA can lead to heart disease and heart attack, strokes, and worsens diabetes. Because of the inflammatory response that it causes, just like perio disease, it may be a causative factor for cancer (perio has been linked to at least 6 kinds of cancer).
Looking forward to Christina's class. She is awesome!
Hi Tom.
Thanks fortaking the time to post.
I can't find a general dentis in my area who uses nitrous and they can't touch me without it.
I go to my periodontist (he has nitrous) every 3 months because I have periodontal problems. I believe I get a deeper cleaning from a periodontal hygienist, especially with the nitrous as my teeth and gums are super sensitive.
I hope everyone reds your comment. It is wonderful.
See you in class.
Saundra
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