London cosmetic dentistry

Posts Tagged ‘Bruxism’

Grinding your health to disaster in the City of London

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Fighting Teeth Grinding in the City of London

One of the dangers that affect lots of people in a busy place like the city of London is stress and it can be very damaging to your health, but it also can be destructive to your upper body via your teeth. There are many ways to deal with stress, from anger management to mastering the art of relaxation before you go to bed, otherwise, it can lead to teeth grinding and overtime, lead to some pretty nasty damage around your upper body. Sure, your dentist can prescribe you a gum-shield to stop you damaging your teeth, but if you don’t get your stress under control, you will still be biting your teeth together throughout the night- the obvious signs of this is an aching jaw in the mornings, which will inevitably lead to damage in your jaw joints, and fatigue because you have not slept well; over time, your jaws will start to click, you may suffer from tinnitus and you will be damaging your neck and upper back. Should it ever reach this stage, you may not only require restoration to your teeth in order to protect the mouth’s bite, but you may need surgery to your jaws and neck as well, which doesn’t make pretty reading at all. The remedy is to ask your dentist to help you with the problem if you become aware of that you are suffering from this condition.

Dentist in the City of London Answers Common Questions Regarding Bruxism

Sunday, December 11th, 2011

Bruxism is simply the medical term for the problem of grinding one’s teeth. Patients who suffer from bruxism are not even aware that they frequently grind their teeth because the grinding occurs at night while they think that they are sleeping soundly. Unfortunately, even if the tooth grinder is unaware of their teeth grinding, bruxism will be very detrimental to the patient’s teeth and have negative consequences. If you share sleeping quarters with someone, they may be able to tell you whether or not you are grinding your teeth. Otherwise, consider speaking to your helpful dentist in the City of London as soon as possible if you are experiencing any symptoms of bruxism. People with bruxism report a constant dull headache and a frequently sore jaw. It is important to catch the problem of bruxism at the earliest stages so that serious damage to your teeth does not occur. Bruxism can cause fracturing of your teeth as well as loosening that leads to the complete loss of your teeth. Grave consequences such as hearing loss, jaw problems, and TMJ also known as TMD could result from bruxism. Your dentist will be able to diagnose your bruxism and provide you with a mouth guard that will protect your teeth. Your dentist can also advise you on ways to lower your stress and anxiety, leading to a healthier lifestyle overall.

Get the facts about teeth grinding in your sleep from City of London dentists

Monday, March 28th, 2011

You might not even notice you are doing it but the process of grinding your teeth in your sleep canm have a number of bothersome consequences. It is just as common as snoring in the United Kingdom but because it is often inaudible, bruxism (as it is clinically known) often goes untreated.

Health professionals reckon that there are two major causes for nocturnal teeth grinding. If your dentist determines that it is being caused by stress then you may be referred to a psychiatrist. Another potential cause it that there is a problem with the alignment of your teeth. Your dentist can help by examining your mouth and ruling out or confirming if it is your bite which is the problem.

Bruxism is certainly worth dealing with in order to avoid the potentially serious knock on effects. The process of your teeth grinding together, night after night, can begin to wear down the hard, protective enamel and seriously compromise the healthy structure of your teeth. It can also contribute to temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) where the connection between the jaw and the skull is damaged and causes pain in the neck, shoulders and face.

If your dentist determines that your teeth grinding is caused by an alignment issue then he or she might advise that you wear a brace in order to properly align your teeth. Or it might simply be the case that you are fitted with a mouth guard to wear at night so that the strain is taken off the process of grinding. You should always mention any concerns you have about nocturnal teeth grinding to your City of London dentist.

Stop Grinding Teeth in Sleep in London

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Teeth grinding or bruxism is a very real problem to the health of our mouths and body and it’s important that we identify the causes and symptoms of it before it can be treated. London is a very fast city and can be very stressful to live in. We may pump ourselves with stimulants to keep up with the pace, find ourselves losing our tempers on a regular basis and even when we make it home, find it difficult to unwind; these are the prime suspects behind grinding our teeth. If you happen to live alone, it’s often difficult to even know that you have a problem. However, there are a few signs to look out for- head, neck, jaw and ear aches, but a dentist is best able to identify whether or not, you grind your teeth and suggest a course of treatment. Although they can suggest splints, overlays and guards to protect the teeth from being worn away, it will not protect the lower jaw and neck from the pressures placed on them from the grinding process. Teeth grinding requires a more psychological approach. It’s important to alleviate the daytime stresses placed upon you by the city and be unable to unwind at the end of the day. Seeing as a large percentage of teeth grinding occurs whilst sleeping, relaxing before bedtime is essential for de-stressing. This can be achieved with behavioral and stress management techniques, even therapy and hypnotherapy. Once we have identified the problem and the body has learnt to calm down, it is likely that most of the stresses that cause us problems during the day, will not be taken out on our teeth and jaws by clenching and grinding our teeth at night.

Stop Grinding Teeth In Your Sleep in the City of London

Monday, January 10th, 2011

In the City of London, it’s a pretty good bet that you might not know if you suffer from grinding your teeth in your sleep, but the problem can become very serious if untreated. More commonly known as Bruxism, teeth grinding can be caused by a number of things. Stress can be a major factor, along with anger and frustration, poor teeth alignment, certain medications containing stimulants and caffeine based fluids, but it is still difficult to detect. If you have a partner or a friend that has noticed you grinding your teeth, if you notice yourself that you grind during the day, or you suffer from constant head and neck aches, you should get to the dentist immediately for a consultation. Once the problem has been diagnosed, then your dentist can offer you varying treatments. Mouth guards and splints are a good way of preventing damage to the inside of the mouth and are available over the counter, but they don’t stop the problem from occurring and placing stresses in the jaw and head. Dental overlays and crowns on the teeth limit damage too, but do not address the problem. It’s important to attack the problem from a psychological angle. Identifying daytime stresses and their causes can help you to reduce stress through stress and behavioural management. It can help you to relax and understand how to wind down before bedtime; hot baths, avoiding coffee, reading a book and burning of herbal oils can promote the ‘chill out’ process.

Prevent painful bruxism with device from City of London dentist

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

Bruxism is the medical name for teeth grinding that can, if not adequately prevented, damage the teeth and lead to serious long-term problems. Continual teeth grinding will cause problems such as enamel erosion, structural damage and jaw complaints. Teeth grinding can happen either during waking hours but is more of a problem when it happens subconsciously during sleep. This is more of a problem because the patient has no control over what happens to their teeth.

It has previously been thought that bruxism was caused by stress or other mental health difficulties. It is now believed that it may more likely be caused by a misalignment of the teeth causing difficulties with the bite. This can of course be made worse by conditions such as stress and anxiety which tighten the muscles and make the grinding more severe.

Some of the main symptoms of bruxism are a saw and painful jaw, painful headaches or stiff muscles. If you think that you may be suffering from bruxism you need to make an appointment with a City of London dentist. They will be able to provide you with a device that can protect the teeth from excessive grinding. This will cushion the effects of bruxism and prevent the nasty painful muscular problems that can be caused by the condition.

More long-term cures for the condition are replacing or realigning teeth. This will make the bite more aligned and prevent the irritation that causes bruxism. This is definitely the best course of action because continued grinding will damage the tooth enamel over time. This will leave the teeth exposed to decay and disease that can affect the teeth and cause many long-term dental health problems.

How to stop grinding your teeth in your sleep; by a Central London dentist

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Teeth Grinding is such a medical concern they even have a special term for it; Bruxism. It usually starts in childhood when a child gets their two top and bottom teeth, at around the age of 10 months says a Central London dentist. It isn’t harmful at that age and many children don’t even grind all night long. When they get older the Bruxism can become more prominent and harmful, as it will wear down the adolescent teeth prematurely, this in turn will cause infections and nerve exposure problems. The cause is usually down to anxiety, even when the sufferer isn’t aware of the cause of the anxiety. The other problem it causes is headaches, sleeplessness and jaw ache, all of which are basically non-treatable because in order to treat them you would need to eliminate the Bruxism. There are loads of cures, that is the good news, the bad news is that most of these cures are `Old Wives Tales` and simply don’t work. The really good methods that do work are mouth guards that won`t stop the grinding, but will stop the damage and the other problems from happening. Hypnosis and anxiety management will also help a lot, they are tried and tested methods that are being recommended these days by many dentists. As worry, stress and pressure of work are thought to be the 3 most common causes of Bruxism, if you look at getting treated for these symptoms, and then you may well find the problem will disappear as quickly as it came. It may also help to consult your doctor as they may be aware of the problem; sufferers have reported that muscle relaxers have helped with the problem. There is even a Bruxism Association, which tells us that you as a sufferer are not alone, look them up on the web as they will be aware of the latest news, cures and information about this most unusual complaint.

Prevent teeth grinding during sleep at City of London dentist

Saturday, April 24th, 2010

Do your jaw muscles ache in the morning? Do your teeth show signs of premature wear or hurt when you eat first thing? If so, then you may be one of the one in ten people who suffer from teeth grinding during sleep. This condition is known as bruxism and can be responsible for a number of wider health complaints such as facial pain and TMJ.

For many years bruxism was thought to be caused by stress experienced during waking hours. This may be the case in some instances but many dentists have found that bruxism is often caused by a misalignment of the jaw. This causes the top and bottom teeth to sit awkwardly which can cause some irritation. This in turn causes muscles spasms to occur making the teeth grind together.

Not only will this cause erosion of the tooth enamel, which may lead to further dental complications such as decay and infection, but may result in sever muscular pain. This can be very uncomfortable and affect patients all through their waking hours. This can be even more frustrating when the cause of the problem is unknown, as it often is with bruxism.

Although there is no real cure for bruxism itself, it is possible for a City of London dentist to offer some form of relief. This may take the form of a mouth guard or dental appliance that can be worn when sleeping. This can alleviate the muscular pain and prevent further damage to the tooth enamel. In some cases it may be possible to realign the teeth through orthodontic treatment but this very much depends on the individual patient and the structure of their teeth and jaw.

Central London dentist cures subconscious teeth grinding

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Grinding your teeth during sleep may be the result of stress in your life, that is manifesting itself subconsciously during the night. Alternatively it might be due to an interruption in bite caused by a change in the position of teeth. This is very common for patients who have recently lost teeth in an accident or due to decay.

Subconscious teeth grinding is known as bruxism and can result in painful jaw conditions called TMJ. It can also grind down tooth enamel causing major dental problems and very painful toothaches. When the enamel of a tooth is lost it can expose the very sensitive part of the tooth to the extremes of temperature experienced when eating and drinking. It can also expose the central part of the tooth to infection.

Bruxism can also be a major reason behind bad sleep and stress which in turn makes the situation worse. It is important therefore to see a City of London dentist if you or a partner grinds their teeth during sleep. Dentists can design and fit special mouth guards that prevent teeth grinding during sleep. They may also be able to restore your bite so that there is no muscular stress causing the grinding.

Bruxism or teeth grinding can be a hard and unpleasant habit to break but dentists are there to help you get the pain-free nights sleep you deserve.

Dental implants from London dentist best choice to replace missing teeth

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Did you know that a dental implant could be the best option to replace a missing tooth? Dental implants are anchored to the jawbone itself to provide a realistic and tooth-like level of security rather than resting on the gum like other dental substitutions. An implant from a London dentist is therefore a more long-term solution to a missing tooth.

Missing teeth need to be replaced for a number of cosmetic and wider health issues. A gap in the dental arc can be the cause behind dental infections and decay, bite problems and painful jaw conditions such as bruxism and TMJ. Replacing the tooth as soon as possible is always a good idea to prevent it causing you any further dental complications.

Statistics in the UK show that over two thirds of adults over the age of forty have lost at least one tooth to decay or accident. By the age of 75, a quarter of all people have lost all their natural teeth. More temporary or unfixed solutions such as dental bridges and dentures can perform a cosmetic role but they are really only band-aids for the actual missing tooth. A dental implant actually strives to replace the whole structure of the tooth for the patient’s peace of mind and to remove the need for messy adhesives. Dental implants are also so strong that they do not inhibit the eating of certain tougher foods that can be the case with more fragile substitutes.

A dental implant comes in the form of a small titanium screw that is drilled into the jawbone through the gum. Given time, the bone and gum tissue will fuse to the implant making it solid and ready to receive an artificial tooth. When this is attached, the patient will have the secure feeling of a real tooth that is only achievable with anchored dental implants.