11 Oct Wearing a Night Guard When You’re Stressed Helps with Teeth Grinding
A lot of people might find it surprising, but mental health issues like stress, depression, and anxiety can have a significant impact on the overall integrity of your teeth. Several surveys have shown that almost two-thirds of all people get diagnosed with depression-triggered toothache, while half of all depressed individuals show signs of relatively poor teeth and oral health. There is also a strong link between poor mental health and gum disease. Therefore, all people dealing with anxiety and depression must take extra care when following a dental hygiene routine to ensure they keep their mouths healthy and clean.
How Stress Can Affect Dental Hygiene
The most common reason behind poor dental health amongst mentally taxed patients is the effects of anxiety and stress. It can be challenging to inculcate the habit of following a strict dental care routine while battling a mental health condition. Therefore, taking some time out for self-reflection is critical, which can give you the power to put into your everyday tasks.
Stress has also shown signs of having physiological effects on our bodies. Any irregular spikes in stress levels can weaken our immune system, making it much easier for bacteria to access the gums and cause issues like inflammation. Several anti-anxiety and antidepressants can also cause dry mouth, making saliva unable to clear away any food debris left after eating a meal.
People who are dealing with a severe case of anxiety can also exhibit symptoms like teeth grinding and canker sores. Both of these issues can be detrimental to oral health, with long-term and short-term effects. If you notice a teeth grinding issue, you may have to wear a night guard when sleeping to prevent irreparable damage to your protective enamel.
How Do Night Guards Help With Teeth Grinding?
If your dentist diagnoses you with bruxism (also known as teeth grinding), they might recommend you wear a night guard before sleeping. While it may feel weird to wear a night guard to bed at first, you must remember that they can help significantly reduce the risk of tooth damage because of bruxism. It can also help you alleviate jaw pain or other symptoms related to teeth grinding.
Offers Protection
Using a night guard regularly can help you prevent your teeth from developing fractures or cracks by clenching and grinding. Your night guard will help reduce any risk of flattening, chipping, or loosening your teeth. It can also reduce excessive wear and tear of your tooth enamel.
Offers Pain Relief
Once you start wearing a night guard, you can also relieve tooth, neck, jaw, and facial pain that you might experience due to bruxism. It will help you reduce severe headaches and any damage to the inside of your mouth. Moreover, it can prevent bruxism from developing into other critical and painful conditions like a TMJ disorder.
Enhanced Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep can be challenging, especially when stressed. Adding teeth grinding to this situation can cause even more disruptions to your deep sleep. If you are suffering from bruxism triggered by stress, you might find yourself waking up at night and having difficulty falling asleep. By wearing a night guard, you will soon notice that you are about to sleep through the night more quickly and deeply. This will help you feel well-rested and alert in the mornings.
A Comfortable Fit
Most night guards that prevent teeth grinding at night are easy to use and only take a few seconds to put on right before you head to bed. Moreover, if you choose to get high-quality, customized night guards, it will feel even more comfortable since they are built to fit your teeth perfectly. Many people who choose to wear custom-fitted night guards to bed report they can fall asleep only in a few minutes. Customized night guards are so comfortable that you will not even notice you are wearing a night guard!
Contact Iroquois Dental for Answers Today!
Teeth grinding and stress have a very complicated relationship. However, understanding it and realizing you have a problem is the first step towards creating a lower-stress lifestyle and addressing your bruxism, which will benefit your overall health. It is not easy to reduce the stress in our lives; it’s often a lifelong journey for some. However, in the meantime, it’s best to look for ways to prevent teeth grinding. Our team from Iroquois Dental has years of training and on-field experience! They can quickly notice any signs of irregular wear on your teeth and suggest you best ways to prevent it from escalating. Call our experts at 630-416-0780 for more information today!
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