Teeth Grinding In Richmond – A Problem You Might Not Even Know You Have!

Did you know that over 8% of the Australian population regularly grind excessively on their teeth? Yet unfortunately, many people don’t even know that they do it until it’s too late

Teeth grinding in Richmond (otherwise known as Bruxism) often occurs at night and is what is known as a para-functional behaviour. Para-functional behaviours are, in fact, bodily movements that occur without us knowing (typically during sleep) such as leg twitching or cheek/lip biting.

Unfortunately, teeth grinding isn’t only a problem for your sleep partner who has to listen to the loud continual sound of clenching teeth. It’s also a serious oral health issue for you.

The Effects of Teeth Grinding

Ongoing grinding of the teeth can lead to:

Fractured and loose teeth
Excessively worn-down teeth and shortened facial height
A sore, clicking or dislocated jaw
Jaw Joint : Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD)
Frequent head and neck aches.

Most ‘bruxers’ go through periods of teeth grinding and don’t do it all the time. This can make the problem particularly difficult to spot. It’s often down to an experienced dentist to notice the issue during a routine dental check-up. Usually, signs of cracked, excessively worn, or overly sensitive teeth can be a giveaway. Moreover, teeth grinding is the leading contributor to TMJ disorder and tooth loss for Richmond patients.

So Why Me? Why Has it Affected My Oral Health?

This is a question our TLC dentists are asked a lot. Anecdotally, factors like stress, medication, dietary changes, and oral health problems like a misaligned bite, or lifestyle choices like smoking, heavy caffeine use, or even recreational drug use can result in teeth grinding.

That said, all is not lost…

If you suspect you have teeth grinding issues then contact the team at TLC Dentists for teeth grinding treatment in Richmond. We can recommend one or a combination of treatments designed to get your oral health back on track. These include:

Custom-fit Occlusal Splints

Designed to be worn over the teeth during sleep, custom fit occlusal splints are like thin but solid mouthguards and contain a soft material that grips the teeth on one surface (usually the top teeth) and a solid plane to bite on on the other surface (usually the lower teeth) and absorbs and shares the load from teeth grinding as well as changing the excessive muscle power in some cases.

Correcting your bite

We know that oral health problems like an abnormal bite or crowded misaligned teeth can result in teeth grinding among Richmond patients. If this is the case, we can reshape and even-up the biting surfaces of the mouth using dental crowns or inlays or realign teeth using braces or Invisalign. Every year, there are dozens of TLC patients who request us to rebuild their bite so that strong back teeth take more of the load away from the smaller front teeth. In this way, the front teeth maintain their appearance for longer and the bite function of the back teeth is reinforced.

Relaxation techniques

Stress can be a major cause of your bruxism/oral health problems. For this reason, we can recommend some simple relaxation techniques or jaw exercises for our Richmond patients before retiring for bed. We can also refer you to a sleep specialist if the need arises such as when teeth grinding coincides with sleep apnoea or snoring.

If you suffer from teeth grinding in Richmond or suspect that your bed partner does, please don’t wait until there is permanent damage to your teeth. Call the team at TLC Dentists in Richmond and let us help you to banish your teeth grinding concerns once and for all.