Grind No More

Fans of the classic cartoon series The Simpsons may remember the third season episode “Colonel Homer,” where Marge angrily grinds her teeth at hearing Lurleen Lumpkin’s new song that suggested her feelings for Homer. However, grinding the teeth, called bruxism, can be dangerous in real life. It may even lead to certain health complications that would require visiting a dental office in your community.

Causes

Teeth grinding is often caused by stress, and it also occurs during sleep. You may wake up with symptoms such as a sore jaw, headaches, and even wounds on the inside of the cheeks if the teeth hit the inner lining. Chronic grinding could wear down the teeth enamel and raise the teeth’s sensitivity while drinking, eating or brushing.

Treatment

There are ways to stop bruxism. One of the things your dentist may recommend is wearing a mouth guard before you sleep. When teeth grinding occurs, the teeth will simply move against the mouth guard’s material without wearing it down. Your dentist may also suggest that you reduce or stop consuming soda, coffee, and chocolates. Not only can excessive consumption of these foods and drinks damage your teeth’s enamel, but their caffeine content may also induce bruxism.

From the Arsenal of a Philadelphia Sedation Dentist: On Nitrous Oxide

On the day of the treatment, a trusted dentist like those from Wynnewood Dental Arts will first have your blood pressure and heart rate taken as well as find out how well you could breathe through your nose. Then the dental practitioner will ask you to lie down on the dental chair, the mask will be placed over your nose, and the sedation dentist will let you inhale some pure oxygen before introducing the N2O into the mix.

With the help of Philadelphia sleep dentistry practices like using N2O, you have little reason to fear your next dental visit. Even dental surgery can be made easy with the right tools and of course, the patient’s willingness to keep his dental health in good shape.

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Facts about Getting Oral Sedation for Dentistry

If you are paralyzed at even the mere thought of going to the dentist, especially for a relatively intensive procedure like a root canal, you might be a candidate for sedation dentistry. If your dental phobia happens to be topped by a nice serving of a fear of needles, you can still find a solution in oral sedation.