Do you grind your teeth at night?
Teeth grinding, which is commonly referred to as bruxism in the medical community, is a big problem that affects millions of Americans every year. It can end up doing a lot of damage to your teeth and lead to a whole slew of health complications if you’re not careful.
There are many different teeth grinding causes that can lead a person to grind their teeth. If you grind your teeth regularly, you should try to get to the root of the problem so that you can prevent it from taking a toll on your teeth and your overall health.
Let’s examine some of the things that can cause a person to grind their teeth to make you more aware of what might be causing your teeth grinding issues.
Here are 5 common teeth grinding causes.
1. Stress
Studies have shown that the majority of Americans are dealing with high-stress levels on a daily basis.
According to a poll by the American Psychological Association in 2017, about 62 percent of Americans are stressed out about money. About 61 percent of Americans are stressed out about work. And about 57 percent of Americans are stressed out about the current political climate.
It seems there is stress, stress, and more stress everywhere we turn.
As you might imagine, that can affect people in all kinds of different ways. One of the ways it affects them is that it causes some people to grind their teeth.
Stress can serve as one of the main teeth grinding causes at any time of the day. There are many people who will grind their teeth during the day due to high levels of stress.
There are also many people who will subconsciously grind their teeth at night when they’re sleeping due to stress. If you fit into this category, it’s a good idea to recognize the problem and do something about it.
By bringing down your stress levels, you will grind your teeth less and do less damage to your teeth and oral health.
2. Misaligned or Missing Teeth
Are your teeth misaligned? Or are you missing some teeth in your mouth?
This could be another one of the teeth grinding causes.
When your teeth aren’t aligned properly or you’re missing teeth, it will cause your teeth to sit unnaturally in your mouth when you’re sleeping. This will, in turn, cause you to grind your teeth without you even knowing it.
If your teeth aren’t aligned or you have teeth that are missing, it’s important for you to work with a dentist to take care of the problem. Outside of causing you to grind your teeth, these issues can also lead to many other oral health problems.
Additionally, you should make more of an effort to care for your teeth so that you don’t lose additional teeth in the future. You’ll sleep better every night when you have all of your teeth and they’re lined up the way they should be.
3. Abnormal Bite
You might have all of your teeth, and they might be lined up properly. But even then, you can be susceptible to grinding your teeth at night if you have an abnormal bite.
Some Americans have an overbite that causes their top row of teeth to close down over their lower row of teeth. Others have an underbite that causes the opposite to be true.
If you have either of these conditions, the result might be that you unknowingly grind your teeth at night.
This is, again, an issue that you can address with your dentist to figure out a long-term fix for it. By taking care of your abnormal bite, you can ensure that your teeth line up when you’re asleep, which should cut down on your teeth grinding.
There are also certain cosmetic procedures that can be done to help those who grind their teeth regularly. A trip to Dr Aesthetica could potentially work wonders for those who are grinding their teeth because of the way their teeth and jaws are positioned.
4. Sleep Disorders
There are about 40 million Americans who suffer from some kind of sleep disorder. Some have what’s called sleep apnea, while others have insomnia.
If you’re currently suffering from a sleep disorder of any kind, it could be causing you to grind your teeth at night.
There are some sleep disorders that will affect your body’s ability to slip into the REM state of sleep. There are others that will make it difficult for you to breathe normally once you fall asleep.
These types of disorders can be teeth grinding causes. Outside of struggling to sleep normally at night, you will also find that your teeth will get worn down due to the disorders.
You may also experience side effects like headaches and a sore jaw due to teeth grinding.
5. Smoking, Alcohol, or Caffeine Use
Have you gotten into the habit of smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, or using caffeine in the hours leading up to your bedtime?
These things can interrupt your sleep cycle and make it difficult to get a good night’s rest. They can also make your body feel jumpy and lead to you grinding your teeth at night.
If you have noticed that you grind your teeth at night and you don’t think it’s because of stress, an oral health issue, or a sleep disorder, you should record what you’re eating and drinking before bed.
You might be grinding your teeth due to your lifestyle. By making simple changes to it, you can cut down on your teeth grinding significantly.
Find Out Which Teeth Grinding Causes Are Affecting You
As you can see, there are many teeth grinding causes that can affect you.
You should make every effort to figure out what’s causing you to grind your teeth and then take steps to stop.
You will wake up feeling better every morning, and you will notice a difference in the way your teeth and jaw feel. It’ll feel great not having to deal with the effects of grinding your teeth anymore.
Check out our blog to find out other interesting facts.
