Everyone catches themselves grinding their teeth occasionally, usually in moments of stress. But chronic teeth grinding can cause problems with your oral health like premature wearing of teeth, cracked teeth. Grinding and clenching can also affect your jaw joint and possibly even lead to TMJ.
At Queen Anne Dental we know that healthy teeth are very strong because they need to withstand a lot of wear and tear. But teeth grinding puts abnormal stress on your teeth, particularly your molars, which can lead to broken or fractured teeth. Many people who grind their teeth do so because of a misaligned dental bite.
Chronic grinding and clenching can also damage restorations like crowns, bridges, and even porcelain veneers. All these effects impact the health of your teeth, but can lead to more costly repairs in the future as we try to eliminate these problems.
If you grind your teeth, Dr. Goel can create a custom night guard, or occlusal splint, that you wear while your sleep. People primarily grind their teeth during the night and are not aware of it. The night guard holds your teeth in a position that makes it impossible to grind your teeth.
If annoying grinding teeth and the resulting headaches and neck pain are a problem for you, please contact our Queen Anne dental office. We can arrange a consultation with Dr. Goel so that he can evaluate your particular situation and make appropriate recommendations for treatment.
