Don´t Want to Wear Your Night guard?

Post by: Gerarda on 17 Jul 2023

Are you struggling to wear your night guard? You’re not alone. If you have a night guard, then there is a reason you have it. Sounds simple enough! Right? Knowing that you need a night guard is one thing, getting used to using it is another.

Perhaps seeing the benefits once again will help:

  • Night guards protect teeth from grinding and clenching
  • Alleviate jaw pain
  • Prevent tooth damage
  • Improve sleep quality
  • Avoid costly dental treatment in the future
  • Custom-fitted to your mouth and bite

If you are still not convinced, ask your dentist for images of teeth grinding and clenching. Seeing examples of damaged teeth or hearing another explanation of the potential for TMJ disorders can be a powerful motivator to wear your night guard.

Maybe you are having difficulty adjusting to the sensation in your mouth or may find it inconvenient to wear while traveling. Your dentist can offer solutions to help overcome these obstacles and keep you on track.

Call your dentist for a follow-up appointment if you have any concerns that are keeping you from wearing your night guard regularly. While it may take a short adjustment period, the long-term benefits far outweigh any initial discomfort. It takes a commitment on your part.

The Pandemic and Your Teeth

Post by: Gerarda on 28 Oct 2020

We have noticed a marked increase in broken teeth and sore jaws with TMJ (temporomandibular joint) problems since the pandemic of COVID-19 started and people were in lockdown; enough to warrant more than a passing thought. The need for mouth guards to prevent people from grinding and clenching their teeth is correspondingly up.

The Spanish Dental Association (Ilustre Colegio Oficial de Dentistas de Málaga, COEMA) hasn’t done a survey to verify this increase in dental problems since the pandemic started, but reports from colleagues of pandemic-related dental problems are common says Dr. Mikael Kahn. Mikael says, “Bacteria doesn’t take a break, nor does it know there is pandemic! One can postpone dental treatment for a while, but sooner or later it gets to a point where one can´t put it off any more.”

The combination of being in lockdown and therefore, delaying treatment, the stress of being without a job or wondering how one will pay one’s rent, or the fact that one has adverse working conditions, has caused the problems of broken teeth and sore jaws.

We are seeing the amount of stress people are under, having a severe impact on their teeth because of clenching and grinding. This in turn has created problems with their jaw and TMJ. Additionally, with people working from home more often than not they don’t have appropriate chairs to sit in for long periods of time and therefore, are hunched over at their computers. This in turn can increase grinding (bruxism).

In addition to stress and delayed care, we are seeing more cavities as people are snacking more because they are working from home and have ready access to foods that they would not ordinarily have at work. Consequently, people are also brushing less frequently. When people get out of their routines, many times the oral hygiene follows suit.

Having reviewed our records from the same period as last year from June to October, we have seen a 54% increase in the need for mouth guards, 87% increase in broken teeth treated either by composite repair or crowns and a 12% increase in treatment for cavities.

While we can´t say definitively that these statistics are a direct result of the lockdown we experienced in the spring, we can say that we have treated more broken teeth and TMJ problems than ever before during the same period.

Tooth Enamel and Erosion

Post by: Gerarda on 08 Aug 2019

What is tooth enamel?
Tooth enamel is that hard, shiny layer of material which protects your teeth against decay. It is the layer of material that you are to brush and floss on a daily basis. To be more precise, it is hydroxyapatite, a translucent calcium phosphate. Suffice it to say enamel is the hardest mineral element in your body, even harder than bone. Don´t be fooled though as it still can be damaged.

What causes enamel to be damaged or eroded?
• Poor oral hygiene
• Acidic food & drinks (lemon juice, limes, grapefruits, grapes, pineapples, pomegranates, blueberries) to name a few
• Soft drinks in excess
• High sugar and starch diet
• Teeth grinding – wears away the enamel and leaves the dentin exposed
• Medications (antihistamines, decongestants, high blood pressure medications (including diuretics & calcium channel blockers), antidepressants, sedatives, pain medications, antacids
• Dry mouth – xerostomia, where the saliva glands don´t make enough saliva to keep the mouth wet. Many times this is a side effect of medication or radiation therapy.
• Acid reflux that occurs more than a couple of times a week
• Gastrointestinal problems – repeated vomiting from GI problems or eating disorders

What does tooth erosion look or feel like?
When your teeth become rough and irregular, or serrated like a saw blade you know the enamel has eroded. Essentially you reshape your teeth. You can experience sever sensitivity to both cold and hot temperatures and to sweets. You can also feel a shooting pain through one or more teeth so much so that it makes your eyes squint.

Can tooth erosion be repaired?
Once tooth enamel is gone, it´s gone. Teeth need to be rebuilt with composite restorations, crowns or veneers. The advantage of composite restorations is that it is a comparatively inexpensive and a conservative way to restore teeth. The result is immediate. More extensively damaged teeth might necessitate a porcelain veneer or porcelain crown.

You only get one set of permanent teeth; therefore, you might as well look after them. They are not meant to bite off thread or to open a bottle cap in a pinch. Your teeth need to be healthy as they not only serve to make us look good, but they also aid in digestion. As your mouth is the beginning of the digestive system it stands to reason that if you have digestive problems then you look to the overall health of your mouth as well as your stomach to determine the problem.

Begin by looking at your teeth and see whether any of the above symptoms are similar to yours. If they are then you know what to do. Call your dentist for a check-up.

Bruxism – Teeth Grinding

Post by: Gerarda on 03 Jul 2019

The effects of grinding teeth for many years

Ever wake up with a headache and it wasn´t from overindulging the previous night?

Do you ever experience any of these other symptoms?
• Migraines
• Tinnitus
• Painful facial muscles or jaw joints – TMJ
• Clicking, popping or grating sounds in your jaw
• Painful neck or shoulders
• Earache or a toothache or had many teeth hurting
• Broken or worn teeth

If you have answered yes to one or more of these questions, then you may suffer from a condition called, bruxism.

What is bruxism?
Bruxism is the habit of clenching or grinding ones teeth. This happens in the early part of the night when you are deep asleep. Sometimes it can be loud enough to wake up someone sleeping next to you. With some people they make no sound at all, and it is not until a dentist discovers wear on patient´s teeth that they know they are doing it at all.

What are the signs of bruxism?
Teeth that show signs of wear is one of the most obvious signs of bruxism. The force of the grinding can cause the teeth to break or fracture or even become shorter. It can damage dental restorations or cause veneers to pop off and teeth to become loose, as if the tooth is becoming “extracted”. Prolonged grinding can wear through the layer of dentin and cause teeth to become sensitive to cold and hot.

With lower front teeth you can sometimes see that the teeth have a sharp angle like a ski hill or they become irregular and chipped. The upper front teeth can come to be very thin. The molars or the big teeth can become flat and shiny and have the appearance of a skating rink. As you can tell, excessive grinding takes a toll on teeth.

What causes bruxism?
The causes of bruxism are not conclusive as many factors may be involved. One consistent theme that seems apparent though is that stress plays a big factor. In addition, an unbalanced bite, crooked or missing teeth may also be contributing factors. An unbalanced bite or a bite that feels like teeth are “high” can quickly become a TMJ issue. Furthermore if you don´t have back teeth, then the load is distributed on the front teeth only causing excessive wear on them.

What to do if you suffer from bruxism?
Consult your dentist to find the best solution for you. It could be a night guard that is worn while you sleep that prevents teeth coming into contact if you grind excessively and therefore, relieves some of the pressure of grinding and clenching. You will still grind and clench your teeth, but you will not be wearing away your teeth as you will be biting on the night guard instead.

Night guard

If you have broken teeth or have worn them excessively, they may need reshaping, rebuilding or possibly crowns.

Maybe you need to find ways to relax in your daily routine. It could be time to sit and read that book you have wanted to start, or to listen to your favorite tunes in peace and quiet. A nice warm bath at the end of a day is also a great stress reliever. What is your personal stress reliever? Remember what it is and try to make more time for it.

As continued grinding and clenching wear away the teeth, you might like to think about what is causing it in your own life. Whatever your answer, it is wise to see your dentist to discuss it and see what you can do about it.

Categories: Bruxism,Dental health,Dental Information
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Posted on Wednesday 3rd July 2019 at 8:52 am

Tooth Sensitivity

Post by: Gerarda on 24 Jun 2019

Tooth sensitivity is a common dental problem that usually starts with a temporary sudden, sharp pain when eating, drinking or brushing your teeth and sometimes when exposed to cold air. At least 40 million adults suffer from sensitive teeth in the United States, according to the American Academy of General Dentistry.

5 Reasons for Tooth Sensitivity

1. Tooth grinding – Most people to some extent grind their teeth mainly at night and primarily when they are under stress. This grinding can wear away the enamel and leave the dentin exposed.

2. Receding gums – Brushing your teeth too vigorously or with a toothbrush that has hard bristles can wear away tooth enamel and expose dentin.

3. Chipped or fractured teeth – Broken teeth are a highway for bacteria and cause inflammation in the pulp of the tooth. More severe cases can lead to abscess and infection.

4. Acidic and sugary sweet foods – Citrus fruits and sticky sweet candy encourage enamel reduction.

5. Fillings – Sometimes after a composite filling, teeth become sensitive when biting down. This can be fixed with a simple bite adjustment.

Like anything else, you need a diagnosis. If the cause is not understood the symptoms may lessen, but they will not disappear. Proper diagnosis of the sensitivity is essential for treatment, and there is no single treatment that works for everyone.

Categories: Dental health,Dental Information,Sensitive teeth
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Posted on Monday 24th June 2019 at 9:48 am