Blog

At Mapleridge Children & Adult Dentistry, it’s our goal to give each of our patients a beautiful smile that will last a lifetime. As your trusted Liverpool, NY family dentist, we’re glad to provide the dental care services needed for healthy teeth and gums. However, developing a lifelong, healthy smile is sometimes about even more than just committed care and oral hygiene. There are many habits you may have that can be very detrimental toward your teeth – and worse yet, you may not even realize you’re doing them! One of these bad habits that’s harmful to your smile is teeth grinding.

Telling Signs That You Grind Your Teeth

One of the biggest problems of teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, is that most people who grind their teeth excessively have no idea that they’re doing it. This is done mainly at night when a person is unaware that they’re actually grinding their teeth. However, there are still some noticeable signs that may indicate the presence of nighttime teeth grinding. These include the following:

• You wake up with headaches, facial pain, or toothaches.
• Your back teeth are worn down and are also flatter.
• Your teeth feel more sensitive.
• You tend to chew on things during the day.
• Your partner has noticed squeaking or other types of noises your teeth make while you sleep.
• A dentist has alerted you to this habit.

Why This Is So Damaging

Grinding your teeth can be damaging to your health for a number of reasons that include:

• Grinding your teeth can wear down your tooth enamel and eventually may require you to get crowns, implants, root canals, or bridges to fix.
• It can cause dysfunction of the joints in your jaw, known as the temporomandibular joints, by locking your jaw in place, making clicking or popping noises, or causing pain when you chew.
• In addition, this can also cause other facial pain, including headaches and earaches.
• Teeth grinding can also be linked to stress as you’re much more likely to grind your teeth when you’re nervous or frustrated.

Contact Your Liverpool, NY Family Dentist Today!

If you believe you may be grinding your teeth, please get in touch with us so we can determine if you may need to wear a nightguard. You can schedule an appointment with us by giving us a call at (315) 453-2084. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. We look forward to helping you achieve a healthy, lifelong smile!