Clenching and Grinding
HFD has had a significant increase in patients experiencing dental problems related to clenching and grinding. These problems include, but are not limited to, waking up with headaches and tooth pain, aching tooth pain that slowly gets better throughout the day, tooth pain when biting, sore jaw joint and muscles, and several others.
Clenching and grinding can happen at night, when concentrating hard during the day, or at times of increased stress. Right now we are all dealing with COVID-19 and its effects. This can cause a variety of heightened stress levels. We feel this is likely the cause for the increase in patients presenting with these symptoms.
What can you do about it? First, feel free to give our office a call. If you feel you may be experiencing problems related to clenching or grinding, Dr. Randall would be happy to evaluate your symptoms and make a plan to relieve those as best he can. A common treatment option is having a bite splint made. A bite splint is a piece of hard clear plastic-like material that is custom fit to your teeth. It is similar to an orthodontic retainer. The bite splint is worn at night or during times you know you are clenching and grinding. The bite splint works to even out the forces placed on the teeth by the jaw muscles clenching them together. The bite splint will also take on the wear and tear, protecting the teeth from fractures.
A bite splint appointment process includes 2 appointments. The first will be a short appointment where an impression is taken of your teeth. The impression is then sent to a lab for them to fabricate a custom fitting splint. The second appointment will be for the delivery and adjustment of the bite splint to assure it fits your mouth perfectly.
Please feel free to contact our office if you feel a bite splint may help protect your teeth and alleviate your pain.
