The Dangers of Teeth Clecnhing and Grinding

Teeth are designed to fit together with the top and bottom teeth touching only when chewing and very briefly during swallowing. This actually only adds up to about 6 minutes a day! So, you can imagine if your teeth are clenched together or grinding against each other all day, your jaw joint (the TMJ) and teeth are doing the equivalent of a super marathon each day! Clenching and grinding puts a lot of stress on your teeth, jaw muscles and jaw joint which can cause eventual fractures of teeth, recession of gums, TMJ symptoms and headaches. Frequent grinders can also expect their tooth enamel to wear away 6 times faster thann those who don't grind.

Possible treatment options include custom made night guards by your dentist, special exercises or medications in some cases. If you suspect that you are grinding your teeth or clenching excessively, it is best to seek the opinion of your general dentist or Dr. Hughes to customize a treatment plan right for you.