Teeth grinding (bruxism) can create serious problems with the jaw, teeth, gums, and bone structures if left untreated. The excess wear and tear on your teeth created by bruxism will make your teeth more susceptible to problems including hypersensitivity, chronic jaw and facial pain, and headaches.
If you don’t know if you suffer from bruxism or not, here are some of the more apparent signs of bruxism:
- Your mouth makes popping sounds when it closes or opens
- Your jaw is often sore
- You have small dents in your tongue
- Your teeth look unnaturally worn down or short
There are a variety of ways to treat bruxism, including special appliances worn while sleeping, biofeedback, and behavior modification to train your jaw, tongue, lips, and teeth to properly align.