Do You Have Jaw Pain?
Do you or a family member suffer from pain around the jaw, ear and face? Do you have headaches and notice tooth sensitivity? These symptoms can be attributed to a common issue that affects more than 25 million Americans. Read more to find out about this condition.
Teeth grinding and jaw clenching, known as bruxism, occurs unconsciously and leads to symptoms such as:
- Headaches
- Jaw, ear and facial pain
- Ringing in the ears or a “full” feeling in the ears
- Tooth sensitivity when drinking or eating
Teeth grinding can be caused by anxiety and stress, but it can also occur due to an abnormal bite or crooked or missing teeth. During your dental exams we will check for signs of bruxism to determine if you need treatment to relieve your symptoms and stop any damage from occurring to your teeth such as wear and breaking.
During the exam, we will look to see if there is tenderness in the jaw muscles, broken or missing teeth, or damage to the underlying bone. To treat bruxism, we can fit you with a custom night guard to stop your teeth from contacting during the night and grinding together.
The night guards are made by first taking an impression of your teeth and then a mouth guard is molded over the impression. This ensures that it fits your mouth, making it more comfortable and effective. An over-the-counter night guard, on the other hand, may not fit properly and will wear out quickly. In some cases, they can make the problem worse because they don’t control the bite properly.
Don’t let bruxism go untreated. Relief from the pain is possible, and further damage to your teeth is avoidable. Please call our office if you have any of these symptoms or questions about teeth clenching and grinding in Spotswood, NJ. We are here to help you!