Bite splintBruxism is an anomaly where the person involved grinds his or her teeth. Bruxism happens in most people, but is often mild, or occasional, and does not affect someone’s health. But when tooth grinding becomes more frequent, it may initiate significant complications, leading to severe damage towards the jaws and teeth.

In most cases, when bruxism is mild, no treatment is necessary. It’s when teeth grinding becomes severe and causes damage or pain that it should be treated. Here’s what you can do:

  • Reduce stress.
  • Reduce eating or drinking foods that contain caffeine such as coffee, chocolate or soft drinks.
  • Avoid chewing on objects that are not foods, such as pencils.
  • Stop yourself from grinding your teeth, if of course you are aware it, and if it happens during daytime.
  • Relax your jaw muscles in the evening, before sleeping, by using a damp and warm cloth applied against your face in front of your ear.
  • If none of these methods works, your dentist can make you a bite splint that can be worn night time while you sleep; that’s when most episodes of teeth grinding occur.

The information above should be used as a reference only. Any medical decision should not be taken before consulting a health care professional.

The masculine gender may have been more used in the article, but without prejudice, to make reading easier.

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