Help for Nighttime Teeth Grinding

Discover more effective ways to get your nightly teeth grinding under control.

Has our New Hope, PA, dentist Dr. Dawn Rickert told you that you grind your teeth? You might not even realize you do it, especially if you are notorious for grinding your teeth (a condition known as bruxism) at night. Unfortunately, this nocturnal habit can cause some serious wear and tear, which can eventually lead to worn down, weak, and damaged teeth. To prevent these complications from happening to you, there are strategies to reduce nighttime teeth grinding and its negative effects.

Let’s First Determine the Cause

To figure out the best approaches to treating your nighttime teeth grinding we first need to figure out what is causing this nasty habit. Through imaging and an oral examination, we can often figure out if there is damage to a tooth, misaligned jaws, or jaw muscle tenderness that could result in teeth grinding. If you’ve been told that your bruxism is due to sleep problems, our New Hope, PA, dentist also focuses on treating sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and any teeth grinding that may result.

From There, We Can Treat Your Nighttime Grinding

Now that we know what’s going on, we are ready to help you get the relief you’ve been looking for. If we discover that your grinding may be due to misaligned jaws or teeth, we may recommend getting orthodontic treatment to correct this issue. Other treatment options include,

  • Medications such as Botox or muscle relaxants
  • Biofeedback to alter bad habits and to help you control your jaw muscles
  • Changes to current lifestyle and behaviors that could predispose you to teeth grinding
  • Stress management
  • A nighttime splint or custom mouthguard

Dr. Rickert and her team can craft custom-fitted splints to help prevent damage to teeth during nighttime clenching and grinding. While it won’t stop teeth grinding, wearing this device while you sleep can slow the progression of wear and tear on your teeth to prevent injury in the future.

If you are guilty of teeth grinding, know that our New Hope, PA, family dentist Dr. Rickert and the team at New Hope Cosmetic and Family Dentistry can provide you with a protective custom-fitted mouthguard and other strategies to prevent damage to your smile. To discuss getting a nightguard to stop bruxism, call us at (215) 862-2525

Office Hours

Monday:

8:30 am-5:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:30 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday:

9:00 AM - 2:00PM (ALT)

Thursday:

8:30 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

7:30 AM - 12:30 PM (ALT)

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed