If you usually wake up with a nagging sore jaw or headache, you could be suffering from bruxism. Bruxism can also happen during the day in response to stress or anxiety. If untreated, this habit can damage your teeth, which is why you should identify the cause and manage the condition. Most bruxism patients do not seek treatment until they experience pain.
For the lucky ones, their partners will alert them of their condition, and they can seek treatment before bruxism becomes severe. If you have severe bruxism, you should not worry. After diagnosis, we will recommend treatment options, including mouth guards, medication, and treatment of underlying triggers to enable you to resume a normal and pain-free life.
Mouthguards and Medication
If untreated, bruxism can wear down your teeth resulting in tooth sensitivity and a gummy smile. To prevent these effects, we will recommend mouth guards and splints to prevent your teeth from grinding against each other. To treat bruxism, we will recommend certain medications to relieve the symptoms. These include muscle relaxants that you can take before bedtime to relax your jaw muscles when you sleep. If your bruxism is due to stress or anxiety, we will recommend antidepressants. We may also prescribe Botox injections if your bruxism is severe and has failed to respond to the above treatment options.
Treatment of Bruxism Triggers
Bruxism can result from the effects of certain medications, sleep-related disorders, or other medical conditions. Before we recommend a treatment, we will first diagnose these conditions and, if present, administer treatment. If your bruxism results from a certain drug side effect, we will prescribe a different one. If you have sleep apnea or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) associated with bruxism, we will treat them. We will also recommend behavioral strategies such as stress management to treat severe bruxism caused by stress. For more details on managing bruxism, contact our office today.
Dental Blog | Hellertown PA - Allentown PA | Lehigh OMS Lehigh Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 1251 S Cedar Crest Blvd #311, Allentown, PA 18103 ~ (610) 435-6161 ~ lehighoms.com ~ 3/23/2023 ~ Tags: oral surgeon Allentown PA ~
If you usually wake up with a nagging sore jaw or headache, you could be suffering from bruxism. Bruxism can also happen during the day in response to stress or anxiety. If untreated, this habit can damage your teeth, which is why you should identify the cause and manage the condition. Most bruxism patients do not seek treatment until they experience pain.