If you develop any concern with your oral health, the most important piece of advice you can receive about dealing with it is to do so as soon as possible. Most concerns are progressive in nature, and the longer it takes to address the problem, the more significantly it can impact the state of your oral health. With bruxism, that advice is especially important. While issues like decay in your tooth structure or the formation of gingivitis can grow progressively worse on their own, bruxism involves direct harm and damage to your natural tooth structure. This damage will become worse over time, and what bruxism does to your teeth could lead to more substantial long-term complications.
Make them weaker before you realize it
The signature characteristic of bruxism is the constant grinding of your upper and lower teeth together. For many patients, this can happen frequently throughout the day, more often than they’re able to detect or stop themselves. For many others, it occurs most frequently at night, when it’s impossible for them to be aware of it or to consciously stop it. The problem is that, when you grind your teeth together often enough, the pressure and friction of it will quickly make their structures weaker. This can be especially bad at your teeth’s chewing surfaces, where your upper and lower teeth grind against each other.
Change the shape of their chewing surfaces
Your teeth are meant to chew food repeatedly throughout the day, and to do so, they’re powered by jaw joints and muscles that can generate an immense amount of pressure. When there isn’t anything between them, your teeth can become damaged from this pressure, and the friction can wear down your teeth’s chewing surfaces enough to change their shape and contour. The grinding down of your tooth structure can lead to a wide range of problems, including an imbalance in your bite that makes your bruxism habit even worse.
Cause them to break or decay
The weaker and more worn down your teeth become due to bruxism, the more likely they are to experience other problems with their health and integrity. The most common of such problems includes a fracture or break in the tooth’s structure, or the development of decay and a cavity. Both types of concerns can cause significant problems and threaten the health and integrity of your teeth. They can also require more extensive treatment to address as part of your overall bruxism treatment plan.
Protect your teeth from bruxism damage
When it’s left unchecked long enough, a bruxism habit can do significant damage to your teeth and long-term oral health. To learn more, or to schedule a consultation, call Cedar Dental in Cedar Rapids, IA, today at (319) 364-7108.
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