I understand how irritating grinding your teeth can be. At first, you might consider the condition as normal, but if not treated early, it might lead to serious dental problems. It’s obvious that you would not want the condition to grow. Hence, that is the reason as to why you are here. Before I take you through alternative bruxism treatments, allow me to expound more on what bruxism entails.
What To Know About Bruxism
There are two classes of bruxism, depending on the occurrence rate.
We have mild and wild case conditions.
The rate of grinding your teeth in the mild case is small. But for the wild (extreme) condition, the rate of occurrence is high. The later has an effect of causing serious dental problems like loss of enamel, which in turn exposes your teeth to bacterial infections. Also, frequent grinding of the tooth is likely to cause you pain in the joints connecting your jaws.
You would also expect to experience mild headaches caused by frequent engagement of your head muscles.
A majority of the dentist will refer you to use of mouth guards. But for one reason or the other, you might find them inconvenient. Here are some bruxism alternative treatments methods you can use to manage you’re your condition.
Alternative Bruxism Treatments
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Visit your nearest psychiatrist for bruxism help. He will conduct a short interview in a bid to establish the behavioral causes leading to your condition. The psychiatrist will need to collect data. It is through this data that he/she will create a connection between your bruxism condition and the possible causes.
Through CBT, your medic will be advised on the negative patterns you need to avoid. He/she will also advise you on the healthy cognitive practices to adopt.
Your psychiatrist is likely to tell you to avoid stress since stress id the major cause of bruxism. Find ways to resolve your issues before you to bed. At the time you decide to go to bed, your head should be free from stress. Avoid the use of alcohol to relieve stress as this will only worsen your condition.
So what alternative ways can you use to reduce stress? Attend yoga, try meditation even reading a book. Also, you can attend to your favorite routines before you sleep.
2. Emotional Freedom Technique
It is also referred to as tapping. EFT is a form of psychological acupressure that adopts its cues from specific major facets acupuncture.
The process involves the exertion of pressure on specific parts of the body instead of needles. Many victims of bruxism have testified on the wonders the procedure works, although there is little research about the topic. Because of the significant result in treating PTSD, tapping is also associated with the treatment of stress-related causes of bruxism.
3. Use of Botox
I am aware this might baffle you it’s true that Botox a significant impact on reducing bruxism. Botox does not end bruxism completely, but it reduces the condition’s symptoms by a great extent. Botox causes paralysis or limited movement of the muscles around the jaws.
The procedure involves the injection of a small portion of Botox into the masseter muscle. The muscle is located under your ears.
You can feel it press your teeth against each other. In turn, teeth grinding reduces and hence reduced pains. You have to aware that the solution is not responsive/effective to everyone. A quarter of the victims never experience any change. Or the change is insignificant.
Use of Botox is the most debated solution of all the bruxism methods of treatment. There are medics who are for and other gains the treatment procedure. Those against say Botox has the effect of reducing bone density. You should, therefore, purpose to find out more on the right solution for you from your doctor.
4. Hypnosis
Are you a sleepy kind of person? Then this one might work for you. From testimonials, you can expect hypnosis to relieve you from bruxism for two years.
Like all bruxism treatment methods, hypnosis is not a sure solution. All you have to do it try it out. If you get no results, immediately opt for another solution.
You can get hypnosis recordings online that are meant specifically for people with bruxism. You can also undergo hypnosis personally.
5. Relax Your Muscles and Avoid Chewy and Non-Food Items
It’s normal that sometimes you might find yourself chewing on pen lids or nails whenever you are bored. What you don’t know is that you are aggravating the condition. You are making your jaws become used to chewing. Also, avoid eating food that needs too much chewing.
Abstain from foods such as bubble gum and popcorns. This will give your muscles a break and hence reduce the possibility of clenching at night.
Right before you sleep, take a hot shower. Or else, soak a piece of cloth in warm water, wring it and place on top of your jaw muscles. Although you can use a heating pad, moist heat will be more effective. The heat penetrates more into the skin through the use of the former method.
The general effect of this solution is the relaxation of muscles. When your jaw muscles are relaxed, they will be less likely to contract and lead to clenching of teeth while sleeping.
To add on the effectiveness of this procedure, you can keep warm water in your mouth minutes before you retire to bed.
Final Word…
We have explored seven bruxism tips for treating bruxism. Put in mind that some bruxism treatments are not effective to everyone.
For that reason, it is good to consult with your therapist on the most effective solution to use. Avoid stress at all cost as it is the major cause of this condition. Take a look at your lifestyle, and make the necessary adjustments based on the information you have gathered from reading this article.
Stay safe; stay healthy.
Feel free to visit our website for more information on how to resolve common health conditions.