SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) Harder economic times are hard on our teeth. Dentists report fewer people are coming for tooth whitening, but more are showing up because of broken teeth and fillings caused by grinding their teeth.
Bruxism is the official term for the unconscious clenching and grinding of teeth that occurs while people sleep. Christian Nielsen, DDS is fixing the problems that it causes at his practice, Utah Periodontal Specialists. “Bruxism can lead to a lot of problems. It can lead to breaking teeth, losing fillings, breaking dental work, recession of the gingival tissue around the teeth.” He says in some cases, the structure of the teeth is changed and teeth can even fall out.
The problem is, most people don’t know they are doing it. Dr. Nielsen says “less than ten percent of people actually realize they do grind their teeth. They will usually find out form their spouse or someone around them.”
He says not everyone who grinds does it all of the time, and usually it is a sign of stress. “During tax season people stress a little more, students during final examinations tend to clench and grind their teeth more, so it will come and go.”
The current economic stress is being seen in the number of patients reporting not only broken dental work, but also those who visit because their teeth hurt. “People can tell if they wake up and they have soreness in their jaws and their temporal areas or tender teeth.”
The fix is an easy one. Dentists can fit patients with a custom mouth guard that will prevent grinding. But, while easy, it’s not cheap. Most custom mouth guards run between $350 to $500. Dr. Nielsen says they are worth it. “Although they are expensive, they are a lot cheaper than replacement of crowns or dental work.”
He also says scrimping and buying the athletic mouth guards is not a good idea for teeth grinders because they are made of a soft plastic that will not give your teeth the protection they need at night.
