Have you noticed your jaw making popping or clicking noises whenever you speak, chew or bite? Or do you wake up feeling tired and sluggish even though you actually got in a full eight hours of sleep? Grinding your teeth at night while you sleep can show up in a variety of ways, including teeth sensitivity, sore muscles, daytime sleepiness, flattened teeth or tooth pain — and that’s definitely never a good thing!
If you are one of the many people who tend to grind your teeth in your sleep or unconsciously throughout your day you may not even know that you’ve been doing it! And that’s a problem because if you leave teeth grinding untreated, it really does a number on your smile, not to mention your overall health and well being. And if this is the case with you, what you need is a real solution to stop grinding your teeth and not just a temporary fix.
Treat the Source, Not the Symptom
Typically, the old-school method of treating chronic teeth grinding was to give people a mouth guard to wear while they sleep. And even though it may be effective for some folks, mouth guards can often actually contribute to the problem! Plus, they tend to be extremely uncomfortable (cue mouth guard being thrown across the room in the dead of the night).
That’s why it’s so important to look at the reason why you grind your teeth.
Of course, there are quite a few different reasons as to why you could be grinding, (like maybe your puppy thinks your things are his things) but most likely the grinding you do is from a misaligned bite and facial muscles and teeth that are not in the optimum position.
This jaw misalignment and poor teeth positioning can affect more than just the condition of your teeth — such as your posture, your overall health and can even be a contributing factor to sleep apnea, unfortunately.
How You Can Stop Grinding Your Teeth for Good
First, you need to find out if you are indeed grinding your teeth and this means coming in to see us! When you do, our exceptional dentist, Dr. James D. Powell can create a customized plan just for your smile to treat the underlying source of your teeth grinding habit. This custom plan typically includes non-invasive treatments that work by helping to relax the facial muscles and adjusts the jaw into the optimum position. Once your jaw and jaw muscles are aligned to where they’ll function their best, it will be time to move your teeth into their proper position. To accomplish this, Dr. Powell uses ClearCorrect™ to help patients here at Exceptional Dentistry in Palmdale, California achieve the most healthy alignment.
How ClearCorrect™ Works
Dr. Powell uses ClearCorrect™ to help you achieve a straighter smile and do so without having noticeable metal braces with brackets and wires. Dr. Powell creates a series of clear plastic aligners which are based on impressions of your teeth. You’ll wear the aligners for at least 22 hours a day. Every 4-6 weeks, you’ll simply swap out your current pair for the next one in your series and Dr. Powell will routinely check your progress to make sure that your teeth are adjusting properly. This personalized and accurate process effectively shifts your teeth into place, just like braces normally do, but without the metal brackets and wires. When completed, your teeth and bite will be optimally aligned!
Consultation Call
Are you ready to throw out that mouth guard, get a better night’s sleep, and ultimately stop grinding your teeth? Our dentist, Dr. Powell and our Exceptional Dentistry team welcome you to call us today at 661.349.7725 to schedule your reservation and begin the process of aligning your teeth and jaw for a healthier, more appealing smile!
