Many people wake feeling tired or experience pain in their ear, jaw, neck or shoulders. At the same time many of these people don’t understand why they are having these symptoms or they may just disregard it as something else.
How Do You Know If You Are Grinding Teeth In Sleep?
After visiting your dentist you may find that you are grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw even during the day. Some people don’t even realize that other symptoms are indicative of TMJ. Their dentist will be able to find evidence of teeth grinding or teeth clenching by seeing signs of unusual wear or even hairline fractures in the teeth.
The dentist will then recommend night guards for teeth grinding. These can be very expensive and uncomfortable. You may wonder, does a mouth guard really solve my problem or does it just mask the real reason.
How Common Is This Problem?
Grinding your teeth and clenching your jaw is a very common problem that is otherwise known as TMJ. Many use prescription drugs, such as muscle relaxants or other drugs to relax the jaw during sleep. Studies show that only 5% of people suffering from TMJ or clenching of the jaw, while taking these drugs or using other measures such as a mouth guard for sleeping, find relief. The other 95% continue to go through life in pain.
Recent studies show that this problem has a connection to Fibromyalgia and other ailments that one would think were unrelated to TMJ. Some people report that they clench their teeth during the day and don’t even realize it.
What Are The Side Effects Of Clenching Jaw While Sleeping?
Some of the side effects of jaw clenching are a painful locked jaw upon waking, pain in the ear, and pain behind the eyes, facial pain, hearing loss and sinus pain, a sore jaw upon waking, pain in healthy teeth, neck pain and even headaches. At the same time these people may explain it away as something else because they are not even aware of clenching their jaws or grinding at night.
The other irreversible consequences are the pressure that your teeth take on while you are clenching or grinding your teeth. These wear down the teeth and even cause hairline fractures in the teeth. This can lead to loosening of fillings or complete replacement of a broken appliance.
Should You Visit Your Dentist Or Doctor?
Many take their symptoms to their doctor for help and advice then after listing to their symptoms of constant headaches, felling tired, jaw pain, ear pain and shoulder pain. Finding no reason for the headaches and ear pain the doctor will usually prescribe a muscle relaxant for the clenching and possible TMJ problems and recommend they see their dentist.
After the dentist finds evidence of teeth grinding or jaw clenching he will recommend the usual night guard. This is made from an impression of your teeth, and from that impression he will make a mouth guard. These mouth guards are usually very expensive, uncomfortable to sleep in and not very attractive.
Do You Need A Nighttime Mouth Guard?
The first suggestion your dentist will make is recommending a mouth guard for sleeping. This mouth guard is to be worn as a nighttime mouth guard to prevent the effects of jaw clenching or grinding. These mouth guards are very expensive, after many patients find that their symptoms are only slightly relieved but not completely gone, and they are disappointed after buying the expensive mouth guard.
What Is The Best Method For Dealing With Nighttime Teeth Grinding?
Many people turn to their chiropractor, dentist or doctor for help, only to find that they are prescribed drugs to stop the pain and grinding. After taking these drugs they then find that the drugs have undesirable side effects, they wake tired and groggy due to the side effects of muscle relaxants.
They also find that as soon as they stop taking the drugs, they start experiencing the painful symptoms again. Prescription drugs only mask the symptoms they do not alleviate the problem.
The real solution is to address the cause of the problem not mask it with drugs or nighttime mouth guards. Many people have found great relief from pain and suffering by turning to a holistic solution. A great source for information and suggestions for relief can be found at TMJ No More.
There you can find testimonials from people, real people, who were suffering with TMJ and are pleased to have found a holistic approach for healing. This holistic approach can relieve the pain of jaw clenching and grinding teeth without all the side effects of prescription drugs. This holistic approach is different because it heals the root cause of the TMJ and doesn’t just mask the symptoms.
Click Here for More About “TMJ No More” From the Official Website