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Why You Should Not Grind Your Teeth
A large part of living a healthy life is looking after your body.
One of the most important parts of your body to keep in good condition is your teeth.
With this in mind, following a good regular dental routine at home and finding ways to keep your teeth in top condition is wise.
It can also be worth looking out for common dental problems that could impact on your dental and general health.
And if you do suffer from serious dental issues, make sure to pay a visit to the Dentist in Naples to get it checked out
One of these is grinding your teeth. But what do we mean by this term?
Grinding your teeth refers to when you clench them together and grind the top teeth against the bottom when your mouth is empty.
Many people do this at night when asleep or without being conscious of it during the day.
It could be described as a nervous habit and keeping an eye out for resulting damage to the teeth is important.
Damage caused by the grinding can cause pain which feels like earache even though your ears are fine, a tight jaw or increased pain in your teeth for no other reason.
TMJ syndrome is the major concern
TMJ syndrome refers to the effects grinding your teeth can have on the temporomandibular joint.
This joint is between the jaw and skull of the human body.
This syndrome is typically characterized by local discomfort in the area around the joint itself.
Naturally, this pain can interfere with daily life and make you pretty miserable.
For this reason, you should avoid teeth grinding at all costs!
If you think you have TMJ syndrome, do not worry.
Effective TMJ treatment is available from specialist dental practices, and this will help you to tackle the problem.
The treatment will not only take away the pain you are feeling but also curb the gnashing of teeth which has caused it.
If your case is severe, you may need a dental splint to help realign your jaw.
If you find that the TMJ you have is not quite so serious, lifestyle changes may be enough to help.
Stress can be a major cause of teeth grinding so you may find that using meditation to help relieve stress can work wonders.
Damage to teeth is also a concern
Next to a specific condition like TMJ, it is simply the damage you could cause to your teeth that is problematic.
If you do not curb your tendency to grind your teeth together, you could end up chipping or damaging them in some way.
Teeth grinding can also affect the structure of your teeth and lead to some becoming loose.
If left unchecked, this may even lead to you losing teeth in the future. It can also impact on your gums.
Over time, you may see the gum recession which is not ideal for your dental hygiene.
Try to avoid grinding your teeth – if possible
It really is worth trying to avoid grinding your teeth if you can for the reasons shown above.
The problem for many people, however, is that they simply do not know they are doing it.
Whether unconsciously in the day or when asleep, it can be happening without your knowledge.
Therefore, it is vital to look out for the symptoms of teeth grinding and to take action if needed.
