How Can Splints Be Used To Treat Teeth Grinding?
A dental splint is a dental appliance made of hard acrylic resin. They are made from a mold of your teeth taken by your dentist and then produced in a dental lab. Your dentist may recommend splints treatment for several causes, with teeth grinding being one of the main ones.
If you grind your teeth, your dentist will want to help you to stop it and protect your teeth in the process. Teeth grinding can be caused by TMJ disorder, stress and many other causes. Your dentist will work with you to find the root cause and solve that problem. Sometimes the splint will help to stop grinding altogether, but usually, it is a temporary measure to protect the teeth while you correct the underlying concern.
Splints treatment is used to treat teeth grinding for several reasons. These include:
1. The splint will stop you from grinding in your sleep. The resin material fits snuggly over your teeth so your teeth cannot make contact and they cannot be ground from side to side either. In this case, you physically cannot grind oyur teeth while wearing a dental splint.
2. The splint protects your teeth. When you grind or clench your teeth, it can cause wearing, splitting and a lot of other damage. The splint keeps you from being able to clench down hard and doesn’t allow the teeth to make contact. Teeth grinding can naturally stop when you’re unable to do it.
3. A splint can support your jaw muscles. When you grind or clench your teeth, it’s hard on your TMJ muscle. Sometimes a TMJ disorder can be the cause of grinding and sometimes the TMJ gets out of alignment because of grinding. Regardless of the cause, splints treatment will ensure that the TMJ sits in the right alignment so it can correct itself or not be further agitated.
4. A splint lets your jaw and muscles relax. Teeth grinding can often be caused by tension in the body, particularly the jaw, TMJ and neck muscles. When you use a splint, all of these muscles get a much needed rest which allows them to loosen and feel better. Once your muscles are relaxed, teeth grinding will often subside.
5. A splint can also help you to stop worrying. Worrying is a source of stress and stress causes grinding. Though it’s not the root cause, once you know you are grinding and that it’s damaging your teeth, you may worry even more about how your teeth are being damaged and the long term effects of that. Wearing a splint, especially at night, can help to ensure that you don’t grind, do further damage to your teeth or have to worry about while you’re sleeping.
Dental splints treatment is one of the most common ways to combat teeth grinding and clenching to protect your teeth, TMJ muscle and jaw from developing further issues down the road. If you feel you might be grinding, talk to your dentist about the best treatment option for you.
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