What You Should Know About Teeth Grinding!

What You Should Know About Teeth Grinding!

By admin on January 10, 2022 in Family Dentist

What it is
Teeth grinding, commonly known as bruxism, is the involuntary grinding of teeth, which occurs most often when sleeping

Causes
Discrepancies in occlusion (or bite) could be a cause of bruxism due to interferences in path of teeth. Secondly, stressful circumstances play significant role in teeth grinding. Many people clench and grind their teeth when encountered with a stressful situation. This is why individuals who have demanding or stressful professions are more prone to bruxism. Apart from these, genetic factors, medications, acidic reflux, alcohol and obstructive sleep apnoea could be other causes of bruxism.

Consequences
Teeth grinding may result in pain due to strained muscles and TM joint, clicking sounds while chewing, abnormal tooth wear or fracture.
Due to bruxism, teeth wear out continually leading to sensitivity to cold and hot. Moreover, worn out teeth becomes prone to dental caries.

 

Treatment
As already discussed, there are various reasons behind Teeth Grinding, therefore, line of treatment depends entirely on the cause, like treating occlusal discrepancies, acidic reflux and obstructive sleep apnoea, quitting alcohol or stress management therapy.

On the hand, if the causes are non-treatable then our dentists at Applebite Dental Coburg focus on minimising the effects of teeth grinding by fabricating occlusal splint (also known as night guard). It is an appliance that sits on teeth and protect teeth from wear due to grinding. Patient need to wear this all over the night. Here at Applebite Dental, in addition to splint fabrication, patient may need restoration of teeth worn out due to bruxism.

Things you should know before visiting a dental clinic!

Things you should know before visiting a dental clinic!

By admin on January 10, 2022 in Family Dentist

1. Communicate your medical issues clearly
Medical history of patient is important for planning a dental treatment plan; therefore, you should communicate any medical issue or current medication with your dentist. Some dental problems could be associated with medical condition of the patient. So, clear communication helps in correct diagnosis. For instance, diabetes is linked with risk of gum problems and hypertensive medication causes dry mouth. Moreover, knowledge of patient’s medical history helps dentist to tackle any case of medical emergencies in dental chair.

2. Don’t Apply Lipstick and remove Oral jewellery
Always remember to remove your lipstick before entering the dental clinic. As your lipstick will contaminate dental instruments, gloves and can mess your face during procedure. Additionally, coloured lips make it more difficult for your dentist to determine which tooth shade best matches your actual teeth while doing a dental repair.

3. Dental X-rays are relatively safe
Most patients are usually worried about danger of dental radiations as it’s a long-held belief that x-rays are carcinogenic. However, Radiations from modern x-ray machines are extremely low, making them perfectly safe for patients of all ages. You will be exposed to more radiation If you spend one hour in Sun as compared to that due to x-rays.

 

4. Always bring your insurance card
Make sure you have your insurance card with you since your insurance card is needed to claim bill from your insurance provider. Moreover, with your insurance card we can check how much of your treatment expenses would be covered by your insurance provider.

5. Reach ahead of time
Feeling rushed can exacerbate your anxiousness. Moreover, if you are going first time to the clinic, you might have to fill medical history form. So, it’s a good idea to reach before appointment time.

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