Do Braces Help With Teeth Grinding?
By
Dr Shivam Jha
This blog post will address the topic,”do braces help with teeth grinding” and cover topics like what research says about braces helping with teeth grinding, all about teeth grinding including possible causes of teeth grinding, signs and symptoms of teeth grinding, how do braces help with teeth grinding, what are braces, types of braces, maximum duration to wear braces, pain and soreness after braces, taking care of teeth with braces and post braces considerations.
Do Braces Help With Teeth Grinding?
Yes, braces do help with teeth grinding if it occurs due to misaligned or crooked teeth.
Braces may help realign the teeth and correct the bite to give relief or completely eliminate the problem of teeth grinding.
What Does Research Say?
A 2016 study concluded that orthodontic treatment with orthodontic appliances is significantly beneficial in treating cases of sleep bruxism (teeth grinding at night while asleep).
A 2019 review article concluded that early orthodontic examination (mostly at the age of 7 years) and intervention may help with teeth grinding associated with any orthodontic cause.
What Is Teeth Grinding?
Bruxism or teeth grinding is a dental condition in which an individual grinds or clenches their teeth either knowingly while awake or unknowingly while asleep.
What Are The Possible Causes Of Teeth Grinding?
Teeth grinding may occur due to an underlying physical, psychological or genetic cause:
- Anxiety and other mood disorder
- Stress
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- High intake of caffeine
- Side effect of medications like antidepressants (medicine to treat depression symptoms)
- Family history of teeth grinding
- Young age
- Underlying diseases such as Parkinson’s in older individuals, or epilepsy, or hyperactivity disorder in children.
- Underlying dental conditions like misalignment of teeth
How To Know That You Grind Your Teeth?
There are certain signs and symptoms that may reveal your teeth grinding problem:
- Dull Headache in temple area and sore jaw upon waking up in the morning
- Loud teeth grinding sound may help your parents or partner know about your teeth grinding problem
- Chipped off or abraded teeth
- Tooth pain and sensitivity without any cavities visible
- Abraded enamel
How Do Braces Help With Teeth Grinding?
Braces may help realign the teeth and correct the bite to give relief or completely eliminate the problem of teeth grinding.
Braces actually make your teeth straighter or more aligned by applying pressure on them in a particular desired direction.
The pressure allows teeth to become loose and reposition themselves according to the direction of force.
Your orthodontist may call you once in a month for follow-up and check if the braces are applying enough pressure for necessary orthodontic movement.
Your Orthodontist may also tighten the wires or rubber bands to increase the amount of pressure applied to a required level for achieving a desired movement.
In some cases, headgears may be recommended to you for increased pressure along with braces.
What Are Braces?
Braces are dental tools that help align your misaligned teeth. The misalignment may be presented as your teeth protruding too much to the outside or sloping inwards too much or crowded at one place.
Misalignment may make your smile look unaesthetic and also result in poor dental hygiene as misaligned teeth are difficult to clean with a higher risk of plaque deposition.
What Are The Different Types Of Braces?
Braces are of different types, made up of different materials and for different individual’s requirements.
- Metal Braces – These are traditional braces made up of metal.
- Ceramic Braces – These are natural tooth coloured braces made up of ceramics or stainless steels.
- Lingual Braces – These are attached on the lingual surface (at the back of the teeth) and cannot be seen clearly.
- Invisible Braces – As the name suggests, these braces are almost invisible and we cannot see them until too much attention is given. They are made up of clear plastic and come in a tray form.
What Is The Maximum Duration To Wear Braces?
One to three years is the average time upto which wearing braces may be required. However, it totally depends on the severity of misalignment, the space present in your mouth and also on the health of your jaw bones.
Pain And Soreness After Braces
For a few days or weeks, your mouth and teeth may hurt or feel sore. It is perfectly normal and should disappear.
However, if it remains and the discomfort does not reduce, consult your orthodontist immediately.
Rinsing your mouth with lukewarm salt-water mixture may reduce the discomfort and ease soreness.
You may also consider over the counter painkillers to relieve the pain caused after braces.
Taking Care Of My Teeth With Braces
Gentle Brushing after every meal with a fluoride toothpaste, fluoride mouthwash or any therapeutic mouthwash and air flossing are some of the ways to take care of your teeth with braces.
It is very much essential and important to take care of your teeth while you have braces as food particles stick very naturally on braces leading to quick deposition of plaque leading to staining and increased risk of cavities.
Post-Braces Considerations
Once the orthodontist feels that the desired result has been achieved and your teeth are now aligned as desired, braces will be taken off.
After taking out the braces, a thorough examination of the teeth and oral cavity is done to make sure all the bites are normal and you don’t feel any discomfort.
X-ray may also reveal any wisdom tooth erupting. If that is the case, your orthodontist may recommend extraction of the wisdom tooth before letting it erupt and disturb the new alignment.
Once everything is checked, your orthodontist will give you a new appliance to wear. This new appliance is called retainer and is very important to wear after braces are taken off.
Retainer helps to retain and maintain the new alignment until all the jaw bones, gums and mouth structures are adjusted to the new alignment.
The time duration of wearing such retainers may vary from person to person.
Conclusion
This blog post addressed the topic,”do braces help with teeth grinding”. We understood what research says about braces helping with teeth grinding, all about teeth grinding including possible causes of teeth grinding, signs and symptoms of teeth grinding, how do braces help with teeth grinding, what are braces, types of braces, maximum duration to wear braces, pain and soreness after braces, taking care of teeth with braces and post braces considerations.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs): Do Braces Help With Teeth Grinding
Can teeth heal from grinding?
Yes, teeth can heal from grinding. In many children, grinding or clenching of teeth is not that severe or continuous and thus doesn’t require any treatment.
In some where grinding is continuous and severe, proper treatment may be required to treat the teeth grinding.
Treatment may involve basic orthodontic appliance therapy if the underlying cause is misalignment or it may involve psychological therapy if teeth grinding is due to stress and anxiety related disorders.
What deficiency causes teeth grinding?
Deficiency of vitamins, calcium and magnesium may be a secondary cause of teeth grinding.
How do I stop grinding my teeth naturally?
To stop teeth grinding you must:
- Exercise daily at least for 30 minutes
- Yoga can help de-stress and give relief from stress induced teeth grinding
- Stop too much intake of caffeine
- Visit your dentist and get yourself a mouthguard for night
Is a top or bottom night guard better?
Bottom night guard is preferred by most dentists because of their comfort and ease of use. However, depending upon the individual, a better night guard is the one that suits you the best.
How long do night guards last?
Night guards may last anywhere between a year to five years depending upon the severity of teeth grinding.
Why do my teeth hurt with night guard?
Your teeth hurt after wearing your night guard because it might not be fitted properly and may be too large or too small for your mouth.
If you face such issues with your night guard, consult your dentist immediately.
References:
Prado, I. M., et al. “Sleep bruxism and orthodontic appliance among children and adolescents: a preliminary study.” J Sleep Disord Ther 5.2 (2016): 1-7.
Naidu, Shyamala, and Anand Suresh. “Does My Child Need Braces?-A Comprehensive Review.” (2019).
Bruxism (teeth grinding) – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
Other FAQs about Teeth braces that you may be interested in.
Do Braces Help With Teeth Grinding?
Do Braces Make Your Teeth Fall Out Later In Life?
What Happens If You Have A Loose Tooth With Braces?
Teeth Grinding (Bruxism): Causes and Treatments – WebMD
Dental Braces and Retainers – WebMD
Life with Braces – Edwards & Schaefer Orthodontics
Limitations of Orthodontics – Myobrace