I was surprised to find out how many of my friends and acquaintances grind their teeth at night, after posting my recent UT Healthleader article on the subject. Apparently, I am not the only only sporting one of those cute, acrylic mouthguards at night. So, if everyone does it, does that mean grinding your teeth is cool? Definitely not, considering all the problems teeth grinding has caused me over the years--not to mention the headaches and the countless dentist bills. I know why I grind my teeth. A combination of stress and the way that my teeth are aligned is to blame. But I wonder why so many other people (at least in my social circles) grind their teeth. Are people in general more stressed out? Are they just more willing to talk about it? Teeth grinding, also called nocturnal bruxism, is an increasingly common problem probably because we pay more attention to our dental health than in times past, says my source for the article, Shawn Adibi, DDS, an assistant professor in the Department of General Practice and Public Health at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Dentistry.
So how do we treat it? Wear your bite guard, of course (be sure to have one custom made by your dentist). Adibi also suggests patients who grind primarily because of stress work with mental health professionals to develop coping strategies, adding that both anti-anxiety medications and therapy help. “Once it (the stress) is controlled, the dentist has a better chance of managing the bruxism,” he says.
And now for something completely different:
Calling all parents with school-age kiddos! UT Healthleader recently posted its back to school package, filled with useful tips on topics such as:
- Handling first-day jitters
- Resetting your school body clock
- Protecting your college freshman from meningitis
Check it out!