Problems with teeth grinding during the night can lead to pain that follows you throughout your day. If you have issues with bruxism, a habit of grinding your teeth at night, it can lead to dental damage, but it can also create stress that negatively affects your jaw joints and muscles. Over time, this growing stress on the joints and muscles can lead to pain and sensitivity issues from TMJ disorder. The sooner you seek treatment to have these problems addressed, the sooner you can be free of pain. Our Virginia Beach, VA dentist’s office is ready to address both concerns, and we can help if your teeth grinding has already led to problems with damaged enamel.
Is Jaw Pain A Frequent Concern For You?
How often do you experience pain while biting, chewing, or speaking? Has it become difficult for you to open and close your jaw without stiffness or pain? TMJ disorder develops when your jaw joints are no longer properly aligned, leading to pain and limited motion. This can occur after an injury, because of poor bite function, or due to increasing stress from teeth grinding. Your issues with TMJ disorder can be responsible for headaches and neck pain as well as problems with limited or uncomfortable jaw movement.
The Long-Term Consequences Of TMJ Disorder And Bruxism
In the long term, problems with TMJ disorder can make you reluctant to speak or eat due to the pain your jaw movement causes. You can frequently struggle with neck and face pain, and you can also grow concerned about stiffness in your jaw joints. People who grind their teeth most nights, or every night, can cause damage to your enamel. The wear and tear can flatten teeth or make them look misshapen, and you may wind up with alarming chips or cracks that have to be treated. It should be noted that while bruxism can trigger issues with TMJ disorder, you can experience teeth grinding issues after developing this problem, too.
Restoring Teeth That Are Damaged By Teeth Grinding
If teeth grinding issues have already changed your smile for the worse, you and your dentist can discuss treatment options. One option is to restore your smile with porcelain veneers. Veneers are slim, custom-made restorations that are designed to improve appearances while minimizing enamel changes. We can also recommend tooth bonding and contouring, which changes the shape and size of teeth without the use of restorations. If the damages are serious enough, we may need to cap vulnerable teeth with dental crowns instead of using a cosmetic dental service to restore them.
Talk To Your Virginia Beach, VA Dentist About TMJ Disorder
At our Virginia Beach, VA dentist’s office, we can help patients understand why they are struggling with TMJ disorder, and we can address this issue as well as problems with teeth grinding. To find out more about our practice and services, contact Absolute Dental Care at (757) 428-7440.
