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How to stop headaches and teeth grinding- Time Dental, Surrey

Last time we discussed what bruxing is, what the signs are if you’re bruxing, the multiple causes of teeth grinding and how it can affect your teeth.

The are two types of bruxing: awake and sleep bruxing. Some people do one or the other and some people both. Bruxing is can be multi factorial and is often diagnosed through careful history taking and the presence of signs and symptoms.

The treatment for awake bruxing is normally through awareness. Being more attuned to when your grinding as well as removing lifestyle habits that reinforce awake bruxing such as excessive gum chewing. Massaging the temporal and masseter muscles also helps to alleviate acute muscle pain symptoms. Sleep bruxing in  most cases is often treated with occlusal splints. Sometimes the first step for diagnosis is to wear an occlusal splint at night to see if symptoms reduce. There are many different types of splints that are worn for top teeth or bottom teeth.

Occlusal splints are a simple way to provide treatment that is reversible. They will mechanically prevent tooth to tooth contact but in some cases also reduce the bruxing muscle activity and hence reduce the headaches that are triggered by clenching or grinding.

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