Bruxism is the medical term for the grinding of teeth or the clenching of jaws. Bruxism often happens during sleep. It can wear down the teeth, cause jaw and neck pain, induce headaches, and lead to long-term problems with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
Stress or anxiety is the most common cause for bruxism. So relaxation techniques and stress reduction are a natural approach to help. However it's easy to say, hard to do.
Another common way to reduce the impact of bruxism on oral health is a custom-made night guard (known as an occlusal splint). It provides a barrier to minimize tooth damage from grinding and also places the jaw in a slightly open position, allowing the masseter muscles (chewing muscles) to relax all night.
At Rien Dental, we use digital technology from 3D scanning teeth to 3D printing the splint. This not only ensures high accuracy and comfort to wear, but also avoids the messy traditional impression, which often causes gagging.
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