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.

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.

A mouth guard or a mouth protector is a covering worn over the teeth and gums to prevent and protect it from any kind of injury. Mouth guards are mainly used for three different reasons; protection from injury in contact sports like boxing, as treatment for bruxism and during dental procedures like tooth whitening.
There are different types of mouth guards that are available in the market. Get the advice of a dentist to find out which one suits your purpose best. The three main categories of mouth guards are;
• Stock or ready made mouth protectors – Like the name suggests, these are ready-made and inexpensive and can be purchased at any sports goods stores or departmental stores. Since they are already preformed, it is difficult to obtain one to give you a perfect fit. Most of them are bulky and give you breathing and talking difficulties. Most dentists do not advise the use of these.
• Boil and bite or mouth adapted protectors – These are also available at sporting goods outlets and give a better fit and thereby better protection than the ready-made ones. Thermoplastic material is used to make these guards. After purchasing, the mouth protector is kept in hot water to soften a bit. Once softened, place it in your mouth and shape it around your teeth using your tongue and fingers.
• Custom made mouth guards – These come highly recommended since they are custom made for your teeth based on instructions from your dentist. Though expensive, these provide the best fit and protection and are mostly used by professional sportsmen.
Mouth guards have been made compulsory by most schools for sporting events which has greatly reduced the number of mouth injuries especially in children.

A night guard is usually used by your London dentist to treat teeth grinding or bruxism. This has been the method of choice for a long time. You probably don’t even know that you grind your teeth. This usually occurs while you are asleep. It is not until your dentist tells you or possibly your partner hears you grind at night that you are aware of it. Some reasons why you grind your teeth include mal-positioned teeth, and tooth/teeth and/or skeletal discrepancies between your upper and lower jaws. Children usually grind their teeth while sleeping. This is primarily due to the arrangement of their baby teeth or when they have their adult teeth erupting into their mouths, and they are looking for a comfortable place where their teeth will meet each other. Following the eruption of secondary teeth into the oral cavity, this grinding usually stops. Your London dentist will perform a complete oral examination of your teeth and gums, take dental X-rays, and make study models of your teeth. They will then recommend their treatment. Grinding may not seem like a large problem to you, however if left untreated, it may result in more serious problems down the road (i.e., jaw, mouth, neck, face, and back pain). Defective fillings, missing teeth, misaligned teeth, and defective crowns/bridges, along with ill fitting removable full or partial dentures, can change your normal bite and cause you to grind your teeth while searching for a suitable resting place for your jaws. Your London dentist may opt to perform an occlusal equilibration, however may not do so until the wear and grinding patterns are shown on your night guard. So, actually, these night guards serve as both diagnostic aids for your dentist and treatment for teeth grinding for you. If a specialist is required to correct your teeth grinding, your London dentist will make the proper referral. .Visit your London Dental Clinic to see if you are grinding or if you need help correcting the problem.

As you may be aware, everything from stress to injury can cause facial pain. That said, in many cases, there are a number of dental conditions that may be causing this pain. When you visit a dentist in London, you can have peace of mind knowing that each possible cause of facial pain will be diagnosed and corrected.

Even though you may not have had any jaw or neck injuries, the jaw joints may become slightly dislocated. As with any other joint in your body, this will eventually cause an enormous amount of pain. Unfortunately, dealing with TMJ pain can be very difficult. Among other things, there are a number of muscles, ligaments, and nerves that can refer pain to and from this region. You may even be surprised to find that facial pain can be caused by back, leg, and foot issues.

Your dentist will also look for pain that may be coming from your teeth, and then transferring to a different region. For example, if you have a cavity beneath the gumline, it may have already done significant damage to the tooth. While you may not yet feel pain in this particular tooth, the sensation may be transmitted to parts of your face. Once the cavity issue is resolved, your facial pain will disappear.

Today, dentists can help resolve a number of issues that cause facial pain. This includes bruxism, as well as bite and chewing disorders. Without a question, if you want to end reliance on medications for facial pain, it will be in your best interest to have dentist evaluate the condition of your teeth and gums. You may be surprised at what just a handful of procedures can do to eliminate your pain. At the same time, you will also have the benefit of treatments that will keep your mouth and teeth healthier in the long run.

Bruxism is the term used by dentists referring to the act of teeth grinding. This problem has been successfully treated in London for many years. Bruxism usually occurs when you are sleeping, and there are numerous causes, including but not limited to: a discrepancy in jaw position when the teeth meet upon biting creating a slip when the teeth are clenched together; malposition or misalignment of teeth; and stress. Bruxism also occurs in children, usually because their teeth are not touching each other properly during their development. This will not usually last when the adult teeth develop and are biting together in the mouth. However, it is important for both children and adults to visit the dentist when teeth grinding occurs, and to also have their regular dental check-ups.Although bruxism is not a major health problem, it may initiate problems, such as mouth, jaw and facial pain. Bruxism can also occur because of faulty dental restorations, ill-fitting partial or full dentures, missing teeth, teeth prematurely biting together, etc. Your dentist can place a thin piece of carbon-like paper between your teeth to see if you are biting prematurely on certain teeth. There are also numerous other tests that can be performed by your dentist to see where the problem may lie. Your dentist may fabricate either a customized soft rubbery appliance or hard clear acrylic appliance for you to wear as both a diagnostic aid, or as treatment for your teeth grinding. If your regular dentist is unable to help you, you may be referred to the proper specialist for help.

There are several common therapies for bruxism. One of these is stress management, and referral to the proper professional. However, this may not be easy to accomplish, because some people do not readily see the mouth-mental health connection. As previously mentioned, an acrylic appliance can help both diagnose and provide dental therapy to people that grind their teeth. Also, a soft rubbery appliance can be manufactured. These appliances should be custom made for each individual, using a mold of their mouth that is taken by a licensed dentist. Dental procedures that restore the proper bite and functioning of the patient’s teeth may also be necessary, along with bite adjustments where the dentist marks the teeth and properly adjusts the patient’s bite. Perhaps helping the patient to overcome some long-developed bad habits such as improper teeth, mouth and jaw positioning would help. Sometimes dentists will use short-term medications to help to relax their patient, but this could lead to dependence on these medications and this is not highly recommended.

A rough estimate says that 3 in children and 1 among 20 adults unintentionally grind teeth, mostly during night. The sound that comes by grinding is called bruxism. A wife came in complaining of night grinding of teeth by her husband to the extent she had to shift her bed to another room,” says a dentist practicing in suburbs of London.
The noise truly is loud enough to bother people around. Not just that, unfortunately it renders disastrous effects on the person that grinds his/her teeth than he/she knows.
“Bruxism can exert great pressure on teeth surface that one can imagine,” says the expert; “to the tune of 10s in 100s of pounds per square inch.” This pressure can deal badly with the gum the tooth sits in as well as the bone that supports tooth, sometimes even a jaw joint can also face the music of bruxism.
Although, people who do grinding of teeth say that they do to release excess tension or emotional stress and/or nervousness, dental experts believe the cause is there within the mouth of a bruxist; grinding could be a person’s unconscious endeavor to tweak in the irregularities of their respective biting as well as chewing teeth surfaces, to correct inappropriate bite. Dental experts say that it is malocclusion.
If you notice a bruxist in your house don’t escape from him rather bring him/her to a dental expert before there is serious damage to teeth, gums and jaw joints,” says the bruxism expert in London.

Most parents in London could have heard their kids grinding their teeth during sleep. Some people grind/clench their teeth when they get anger or stress. That is quite normal. But this tooth grinding action can be with or without their knowledge. The Medical term for teeth grinding is bruxism. Teeth grinding or chewing action is a complex neuromuscular reflex activity, which is controlled by the brain (higher center) when we are awake. During sleep, the higher center or brain is inactive and the chewing reflex center, which becomes active, is not controlled by the inactive higher center resulting in bruxism. Most people who grind their teeth do so during sleep and this is called sleep bruxism.  These people are quite unaware of it until someone sleep with them notices. Sometimes people don’t notice at all and become aware of it when evaluated for other conditions such as jaw pain, headaches, dental sensitivity or dental erosion or TMD. The aetiology of this complaint is actually unknown. There are various theories such as stress, psychological causes, nutritional deficiency of vitamins such pyridoxin, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium etc. In some people, it is associated with some sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, snoring, etc. Teeth grinding is very common in children during teething, both when milk teeth appear and also when permanent teeth develop. Children generally outgrow this problem when the teeth erupt completely hence, no treatment is required. However, if your child grinds off his/her teeth for long, it might require treatment. In London, dentists generally suggest the use of mouth guards to protect the child’s teeth, if they don’t require any specific treatment. Sometimes they might be just stressed out or anxious before going to bed. So, when you identify this problem, don’t wake him/her from sleep to tell them, “hi you’re grinding your teeth”. Instead, just help them relax by telling or reading out some good small stories, or by just talking to them about nice things when they go to bed.  Some adults are also found to have this problem, which occasionally is associated with other dental problems such as nonalignment of teeth, malocclusion, structural abnormalities of the jaws etc., hence treating the root cause helps to get rid of this problem without any special treatment. So if you suspect you have bruxism, better not hesitate to visit your dentist and find out whether you have any dental conditions that is causing this problem.  Sometimes this clenching or grinding of teeth could result in serious problems with temporomandibular joints. Bruxism can also lead to wearing off of teeth, chronic headaches, pain in jaws, restriction in the movement of mandible, ear pain, etc. For adults, the use of dental guards could be of some help in constraining bruxism and protecting their teeth from irregular wearing and early erosion. So, the next time you feel like clenching your teeth, just relax… count 1,2, 3,…. and your teeth are saved.