Every Dentist Needs Your Help Keeping Your Teeth Healthy

Tightly clenching your jaw can result in jaw tightness and pain and cause your jaw to fail to open properly. Severe clenching can also cause ear popping, headaches, morning fatigue, or even ear infections. It is important that you are diagnosed and treated for jaw clenching early on so as to avert such symptoms as well as possible tooth sensitivity or enamel damage. Here is a look at common treatments for jaw clenching to help alleviate jaw pressure and improve your dental health. 

Custom-fit mouth guard

Wearing a nightly mouth guard is typically the first defense against teeth clenching. Many folks clench their teeth during sleep, as the brain usually has no conscious control of jaw movements during this period. What's worse is that the sleeper may not be aware of the problem, and this can result in severe damage to the teeth and other symptoms such as migraines and fatigue.

Your dentist can recommend a custom-fit mouth guard to buffer your teeth from the intense jaw pressure exerted on your teeth at night. Purchasing a standard mouth guard at the store may not be very effective, as the dental appliance will likely not fit well enough to protect all your teeth. 

Orthodontic treatment

One of the risk factors for teeth clenching is an improper bite. If the upper and lower jaw is misaligned, you may suffer from irregular jaw movements at night, causing teeth-on-teeth grinding that can be extremely harmful for your oral health. Your dentist can perform an oral exam to determine whether an improper bite is contributing to your teeth clenching and recommend braces to help align your teeth.

Behavioral therapy

Stress and anxiety from your daily life can cause tension buildup that often results in jaw clenching. This can be alleviated using behavioral therapy that generally includes stress medication, mental-health counseling, and various exercises to help relieve stress and anxiety. 

Along with professional behavioral therapy, you should also try to be more aware of your body and your habits. This can help you control teeth-clenching actions when you are tense, especially during the day when you are conscious. Taking extra effort to control your emotions or consciously avoiding activities that add to your anxiety can also help reduce stress-related teeth clenching.

Severe teeth clenching can fracture or crack your teeth, aggravate gum disease, and even lead to facial and jaw pain. If you suspect that you're suffering from this condition, schedule an appointment with your dentist so you can be treated early before developing serious dental and health complications. 

Make an appointment with a dentistry such as Woodbine Dental Pa get your teeth checked out at your earliest convenience.