Warren, Michigan Dentist Discusses Grinding and Clenching Teeth

Hi, this is Dr. Gregory Apsey again, here in Warren, Michigan. I want to speak with you one more time about grinding and clenching. A lot of my patients are complaining of headaches and tooth pain that bounces from tooth to tooth. And sometimes, you know, we look in their mouths, and we really are seeing nothing wrong with their teeth. But they’re really hurting, they’re in pain. Or they’re waking up in the morning with head pain.  What we find is that we believe that it’s partly due to stress. The stresses in their daily lives but a lot of patients are stressed while they’re driving their car’s, while they’re working, while they’re sleeping are clenching and grinding their teeth. And what we’ve found in studies is that at night time the forces that people will generate in their muscles when they’re grinding their teeth or clenching their teeth are 10 times greater than what would happen during the day.

That’s why we really recommend for people that we see are grinding or clenching their teeth- that they wear something at night to protect the teeth. We feel that a custom appliance is best. If you’re going to wear something comfortably while sleeping, it needs to fit very well. The way your teeth bite against it needs to be adjusted just right, in order that you’re comfortable at night. We got to get a good night’s rest in order not to have stress. So what we recommend for our patients is that during the day, they watch themselves and they figure out what they’re doing and they try to avoid clenching or grinding during the day. But at night there’s no way to realize that it’s happening. Some patients say, well I snore all night. I can’t be grinding my teeth. But they are worn flat. So we know that there is something going on. So what I want to show you something, This is one type of bite guard that we use, that fits over the upper teeth, it can also be made to fit over the lower teeth depending on the situation, and it’s really pretty comfortable to wear. It’s smooth and nice, easy to clean up in the morning. But what it does is it gives an ideal bite. And it has a slightly cushioned interior. So that when the patient bites against it , they’re not wearing their teeth away. Instead, they’re wearing the appliance away, and there’s a bit of a shock absorber in it. So it’s taking the stresses off of the teeth, off of the muscles. And our patients have become much more comfortable with these.  During your examination in my office, one of the things we’ll be checking for is at the wear patterns on your teeth. And we’ll let you know if a bite guard is good for you.  Thank you so much.

Warren, Michigan Dentist Discusses Grinding and Clenching Teeth

For more information on grinding or clenching teeth in Warren, MI, please call (586) 573-7700.

Warren, Michigan Dentist Discusses Grinding and Clenching Teeth