REGULAR CHECKUPS & HYGIENE TREATMENTS
Regular check ups and hygiene visits are fundamental to good dental health as there will always be areas you can’t reach to clean properly or deposits on your teeth than a regular brush can’t shift.
Neglecting your dental hygiene leaves you open to tooth decay and gum disease, both of which are deeply unpleasant and can be avoided by excellent dental hygiene and regular professional cleans.
Our hygiene appointments offer a comprehensive clean, including a full scale and polish plus an all-important gum health check and free oral health advice to help you keep your teeth in perfect condition going forwards.
BRUXISM TREATMENTS (GRINDING TEETH)
Grinding teeth and clenching your jaw can damage your teeth and lead to additional aches and pains, but 8-10% of us do this regularly enough to be classified as suffering from bruxism. There are a massive range of causes, often acting in combination but luckily treatment is simple. An occlusal splint is a small plastic mouth guard that protects the teeth and reduces the sound of tooth grinding.
WHAT IS BRUXISM?
Bruxism is a habit that affects around 8-10% of the population. It is characterised by grinding of the teeth and clenching of the jaw that causes tooth wear and breakage, disorders of the jaw (pain and limited movement) and headaches. Bruxism occurs in children and adults but is most common in 25-44 year olds.
Bruxism can occur during wake and sleep. It occurs as a reaction to certain stimuli, a prior medical or psychiatric condition, medications such as antidepressants, neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease or a response to arousals during sleep associated with sleep disordered breathing and other sleep disorders.
CAUSES OF BRUXISM
Bruxism rarely occurs alone and it can be brought on by conditions such as sleep disorders, lifestyle factors, stress, anxiety and other psychological components. Of all of these, sIeep apnoea is the highest risk factor associated with Bruxism. However, lifestyle factors such as smoking, high caffeine intake, heavy alcohol consumption, or the use of psychoactive
substances or medications for sleep, as well as depression and anxiety can all trigger bruxism. Personality characteristics are often a predisposing factor for bruxism. It is known that around 70% of individuals who suffer from stress and anxiety are more likely to suffer bruxism than stress-free individuals.
SYMPTOMS OF BRUXISM
There are many physical and oral symptoms of bruxism but they may not necessarily indicate a straight forward cause-effect relationship. For example, depression can be an effect of persistent TMJD (temporomandibular jointdisorder) discomfort rather that its cause.
WHAT ARE THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF BRUXISM?
The effects of bruxism can have serious consequences. Short-term adverse effects include headache, face and jaw pain, stiffness of the shoulders, limitation of mouth opening, sleep disruption for themselves and their bed partner, excess tooth mobility and inflamed and receding gums. The long-term and permanent effects are more serious, for example, TMJD,
tooth wear and breakage.
HOW CAN I STOP GRINDING MY TEETH?
The only proven treatments are occlusal splints, mandibular advancement devices (MAD5) and hypnosis. Occlusal splints are small plastic mouth-guards that protect the teeth from premature wear, reduce jaw muscle activity and the noise of
teeth grinding.
This information has been obtained from www.bruxism.org.uk.
SPORTS GUARDS
You never think it’s going to be you that loses a tooth to a hard tackle or stray ball, but by the time it’s happened
it’s too late.
A professionally fitted mouth guard is the best protection you can give your teeth and is a very cost effective preventative treatment (especially when compared with the cost of a denture or implant to replace the missing tooth!)