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Nightguards for Bruxism – North Andover, MA
Keep Your Teeth Safe at Night
If you’ve been under a lot of stress lately, you might be grinding your teeth without even realizing it – often while you’re asleep and have little control over your jaw. Exposing your teeth and jaw to the unnecessary pressure that frequently can lead to serious harm. Fortunately, Dr. Beliveau can offer nightguards for bruxism in our North Andover, MA dental office.
Why Choose E. Charles Beliveau, DDS for Nightguards for Bruxism?
- Dentist with Over Two Decades of Experience
- Appliances Developed Using Advanced Technology
- Dental Office That Treats You Like an Individual
The Facts about Teeth Clenching & Grinding
If you frequently have a sore jaw, headaches, or earaches, you might be suffering from bruxism. The root cause might vary. Stress and anxiety are common instigators, but people with misaligned teeth, poor posture, unbalanced diets, and poor sleeping habits are also at risk. You may also have a greater chance of clenching or grinding if you tend to react to stress with anger, frustration, or aggressive tendencies. Bruxism is estimated to affect about one-third of the population, but it tends to affect women more often. It also tends to manifest to those who bite their fingernails or chew the ends of pencils.
If you clench and grind your teeth on a regular basis, you might also develop a TMJ disorder, which can lead to further pain in the head or neck. Worse yet, the frequent rubbing of the teeth will cause the enamel protecting them to wear down over time. Needless to say, this weakens the teeth and can lead to even more severe dental problems. TMJ disorders are also known to contribute to insomnia, eating problems, and depression if the problem is left alone for too long.
A Solid Solution
You might be at a loss for what you’re supposed to do to stop yourself from grinding your teeth when you’re not even awake. Dr. Beliveau can offer a solution if he finds signs of bruxism (which involves an evaluation of the teeth, tissue, and muscles). Specifically, he can give you a special oral appliance called a nightguard. There are several different kinds of nightguard, but in general they are meant to eliminate the issue of grinding by preventing the teeth from touching each other directly. There are cases where additional intervention will be required, and we’ll be sure to inform you of your options.
While receiving therapy for bruxism, you can further relieve your symptoms by developing better stress and anxiety management techniques, practicing focused facial relaxation, applying cold compresses and warm water bottles as needed, eating softer foods, and drinking plenty of fluids. We’ll also look for ways to reverse the damage caused by bruxism.