Blast From the Past: The Daily Grind

We've got a throwback for you from the Sammamish Dental Center archives! Here is an article copied straight from our first issue of "Dental Health News," a print newsletter formerly published by Dr. Goharkhay before web blogs were around.

The information presented here may predate the most current research on dental health and should be taken as an entertaining insight to the history of SDC and of dentistry.

Let us know what you think of our old newsletter, and what topics you'd be interested in reading about in the future! As always, if there's anything you have questions about or if you need further information, please do not hesitate to give us a call.

The Daily Grind

Do you frequently wake up with a headache or a sore jaw? Are you experiencing restless sleep and general fatigue? One cause may just be a reaction to the daily grind - teeth grinding that is.

Known officially as "bruxism," teeth grinding affects a great number of people unknowingly, as it usually occurs during sleep. Unless your grinding is keeping someone else up, you may not even be aware that you're doing It until the telltale effects show on your teeth. Left untreated, it could lead to painful or loose teeth, or teeth that are literally worn down, leaving damaged surfaces.

Stress is a major cause of bruxism, an abnormal bite or crooked or missing teeth are others. If your grinding is due to physical issues with your teeth, we may treat your bruxismby removing the high spots on the problem teeth. In more serious cases, we may need to reshape or reconstruct the biting surfaces of your problem teeth with crowns or inlays. Sometimes, however, you may be able to leave your teeth alone, but intercept the damage that they're inflicting on each other by wearing a plastic mouth guard at night. This custom-made guard will keep your upper and lower teeth from coming together, making it impossible for you to grind them.

While we'll usually be able to detect the telltale signs of teeth grinding during your regular check up, please be sure to mention it to us too, especially if it is causing you discomfort. We can then determine the cause, take steps to fix the problem and help you get a good night's sleep!