09/22/2014
Do you grind your teeth? The correct answer for most of us is yes, or I don’t know. The simple reason why you wouldn’t know is that grinding tends to happen when you are deep asleep. It is important to know because tooth wear from grinding is destructive process that gets more complicated to repair as it progresses. Luckily for us, the progression of wear from grinding is usually slow because our teeth are incredibly hard. However, around middle age, a lifetime of grinding can accelerate due to exposure of the inner softer part of your tooth. Grinders can do much more wear in the second half of their life then their first.
The fix is more difficult the longer you grind because it happens to all of your teeth at the same time. To repair decades of grinding can involve extensive treatment to every single tooth in your mouth.
Prevention is definitely the best medicine for grinders. And while we are not very good at preventing grinding, dentists are definitely good at providing tools to dramatically reduce the damage from it. Which brings us to the first question “do you grind your teeth?” Brand new teeth on children are naturally rounded on the corners and sometime slightly bumpy on the edges. If your teeth look flat on their edges and/or the edges of your teeth are yellower, than you likely grind your teeth. Your dentist or hygienist would be a great person to ask since we look at teeth all day long.
If you find out you do grind your teeth, the treatment usually involves some form of plastic, or acrylic custom made appliance that fits over your teeth. The guard or appliance does not prevent you from grinding but works like a shock absorber to reduce damage to your teeth, jaws, joints, and muscles. The “custom” part of this appliance is important because while a drug store or online night guard can work its important it fits all of your teeth evenly to prevent changes to your bite, and alignment of your teeth.
Your teeth have a long tough life. If you want to keep them, they need some periodic maintenance, and sometimes preventive care. Check out our website at www.greatgrin.com to see who we are, some of our work, contact information, or schedule an appointment.