How to stop Bruxism

 If you wake up the next day with your jaw being sore, a big headache, or the sound of gnashing coming from your mouth, chances are you’re grinding your teeth. Bruxism isn’t just a mild annoyance though, it’s something that can damage your teeth if you leave this unchecked. But there are ways to prevent this, and here, we’ll go over how to stop bruxism. 

The symptoms 

This is usually seen in the form of TMJ and headaches that are common. You also may notice that your teeth are fractured, inflamed, and gums are receding. 

Other symptoms might include: 

• more sensitive teeth 

• soreness of the jaw 

• loose or chipped teeth 

• temple headaches 

Teeth grinding along with bruxism both have very similar symptoms to other types of conditions, and if you notice that it’s happening, you can stop it. Usually though, most people do it when sleeping, so that’s hard to mitigate, but if you learn the symptoms, it can help. 

How it impacts oral health 

When you clench and grind your teeth, the force that’s there is actually much higher than what you do during chewing. When you eat, usually the food buffers this, but the thing is, when you engage in bruxism, this affects the whole mouth, with no barriers. 

This leads too: 

• enamel wearing away 

• chipping or cracking of implants, teeth, and bridgework too 

• sensitivity of the teeth 

• teeth that are loose or painful. 

• Facial pain and jaw muscle clenching 

• Headaches 

This is usually caused by different things. 

The causes 

There are a few causes that lead to bruxism. 

The first is snoring.  Usually, snoring plays a large part in bruxism. When you suffer from sleep apnea or even sleep talking, it can impact the breathing, and you might clench your teeth to open up the airway. 

Anger, stress and frustration also cause this, according to the ADA. When you start to engage in more relaxing activities, it can help with the development of this. 

Some people also may have this due to lifestyle choices. If you smoke or drink alcohol, this can sometimes lead to a development of this. However, this is something that’s also seen in children, so it does depend on the circumstances. 

There are also certain meds, such as antidepressants, and also other neurological conditions including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease.  

Treatments 

The best way to treat this is to talk to your doctor.  You want to also discuss this with a dentist too. 

Most dental hygienists will see the signs of bruxism right away, and they can help provide the best treatments possible to help with this. 

Probably one of the biggest things you must do, is to calm down, and stay relaxed as best as you can. That’s because it can help you relax, and reduce the chances of teeth grinding. A hot shower, a bath with a book that you enjoy, or even practicing meditation and mindfulness is a good way to reduce this. 

You also may want to get a nightguard, which is basically a device that you wear that’s like a mouthguard for your teeth during the night. If you grind your teeth, you can prevent further damage. 

You also may need some mandibular advancement devices as well, which brings the jaw forward as you sleep, and this is something that’s used for treating sleep disorders. 

You want to treat this right away, and get rid of it whenever you can, for your own jaw’s health and safety reasons as well and for your oral health needs too.

Home Remedies to treat Dental Issues

Having good oral health habits is important, but what can you do if you can’t get into the dentist immediately?  While there’s no substitution for preventative care, home remedies might serve you pretty well, especially in the interim before you can get to your dentist. 

Knocked out and Broken Teeth 

There’s nothing worse than falling. Except, maybe losing a tooth, especially the front.   Losing teeth is a huge emergency, but if you need to wait before getting care, here’s a few ways to minimize overall damage. 

For baby teeth, you don’t need to take action. In fact, it might even be knocked inside and will re-emerge later on. 

But for adult teeth, rinse this in water, but do not touch the root.   Put the tooth back in the socket if you can till you get to the socket.   If it can be put back in, there’s a better chance it will survive. Never let the tooth dry out. 

If you cannot put the tooth back into the socket, place it in water then get to the dentist. 

If the tooth is cracked and broken, but not totally dislodged, try to get all of the pieces that are broken. There is a chance that you can repair this tooth with bonding using the fragments you originally lost. 

Canker Sores and ulcers 

Sores and ulcers are painful and can really stink! If you have one, but don’t want to go to the dentist yet, or you can’t get in, use warm water and salt rinses to soothe that discomfort. Oragel is also great for reducing the pain, however make sure that the area is dried before you apply the product. 

Try to avoid salty and spicy foods, as this will exacerbate the inflamed tissues in many instances. 

Yellowed Mouthguards 

Mouth guards are great for protecting the mouth, but you want a mouth guard that isn’t yellowed and gross. 

Not just because it looks nasty, but if you don’t take care of it, you’re going to introduce the bacteria into the body and mouth, which puts you at risk for diseases. 

The best solution is to brush the mouthguard with some baking soda and water on some toothpaste. Make sure that the brush is only used for this. along with it, soak the mouthguard in a rinse every other day for about 30 minutes. 

Do not use blue mouthwash, unless of course, you want a blue appliance! 

Make sure monthly you do a deeper cleaning by using a solution that’s a third bleach, and two-thirds cold water for a few hours. Rinse it in a thorough manner, then submerge this again for another half hour. Then, put the mouthguard in a mouth rinse for another 30 or so minutes. Then, let it air dry after you’re done cleaning it.

As of note, NEVER put the mouthguard in some boiling water, the dishwasher, or microwave. When you don’t wear it, keep it in safe locations for pets and children. 

Bad Breath 

Finally, you’ve got bad breath, which might be due to food, but also might be because there’s something else going on there. it can be an indication of gum disease or GERD, or it might just be dry mouth. Take care of your teeth through brushing and flossing, but if it’s still lingering, utilize essential oils to mask the scent, and gargle with a drop of this inside a cup of water. If certain medications are causing this, then you should talk to your dentist, and get an appointment to help with offsetting these major issues too. n

Hypoglycemia and Blood sugar

We’re probably aware that hyperglycemia is high blood sugar, but hypoglycemia is the opposite, low blood sugar. What’s the cause of this, and what symptoms are there? Does your oral care play a part in this? How can it connect directly to dry mouth? Here, we’ll give you the lowdown on what it is. 

What Hypoglycemia Is 

This is basically what happens when your blood sugar gets down to low levels. Blood sugar is basically how much glucose is within your blood. You need glucose in order to create energy, but too much, and insulin helps keep it at the right levels. But there is a threshold for safety with this, and that where hypoglycemia comes in. 

This is usually when the fasting blood sugar is about 70 milligrams per deciliter, which is based on the Mayo clinic findings. However, this does vary between different people, so your range may be a bit different for it to be considered. This is sometimes a common thing that happens in diabetics. There are other reasons for this too, including: 

• Type ½ diabetes and other hormonal problems 

• Too much alcohol 

• Overtaking of medications, or taking medications you weren’t properly prescribed 

• Rare conditions that create insulin overproduction. 

• Hepatitis, kidney problems, and cirrhosis of the liver 

• The foods that are in your meals and the combination of this 

It’s important to discuss this with your doctor if you find yourself experiencing this. 

Diabetes and hypoglycemia 

Hypoglycemia is common in a lot of diabetics, especially when there is too much insulin. This is very common with those who have type 1 diabetes, and some may experience two episodes of this during the week.Your blood sugar does rise and fall throughout your daily activities, but if it gets too low, this can be a problem. Blurred vision, dizziness, confusion, and weakness are all common, and it can lead to injuries n some cases. If it’s untreated, it can cause a lot of complications, so if you are a diabetic, you need to make sure that you control this. 

The symptoms 

The symptoms do vary based on the types of instances. But, no matter what, all hypoglycemia should be taken quite seriously. These can be quite scary, but it’s a sign that you have to correct this ASAP, for your own health needs. Some of the symptoms do include: 

• Skin being pale 

• Sweating 

• Shaking 

• Feeling weak and tired 

• Stress, irritability, or anxiety 

• More hungry 

• Numbness in the tongue, lips, and cheeks 

• Disorientation or confusion 

• Rapid heartbeat 

• Seizures 

• Losing consciousness 

• Blurred or disturbed problems with your vision 

If you have hypoglycemia, you should definitely go to the doctor to get help with this. 

How this Impacts the Mouth 

Your mouth definitely gets impacted by this. You should try to have some sugar drinks, but also keep in mind that this does put you at risk for possible cavities and what not. Low blood sugars can cause dental issues, but it’s not direct. You might experience one of the following health problems: 

• Dry mouth, due to the lack of saliva in the mouth 

• Gum disease, which is usually what happens when the blood sugar is not under control 

• Injuries taking longer to heal 

• Changes in the flavor and tastes of food. 

• Infection and disease, which impacts your immune system, making you more susceptible to possible infection or disease within your mouth

Take care of this right away, for your oral health needs!

Saliva and Dry Mouth

Saliva is great for chewing your food, is vital for digestion but some people don't produce enough saliva, and this causes dry mouth. But there are substitutes and different types of ways you can fix this, and here, we’ll discuss the  potential benefits of these, and how they impact oral health.

How Dry Mouth can Affect You 

Dry mouth is otherwise known as xerostomia, which is something that can happen from medications, autoimmune conditions, chemotherapy, and even radiation, and so much more. Some of the signs include: 

• A sticky, dry feeling within the mouth and tongue 

• Trouble with chewing, tasting, swallowing and speaking 

• Lips that are cracked 

• Burning sensations within the mouth 

• Lips that are cracked 

• Mouth sores 

• A dry tongue that’s rough.

• Mouth infection 

Dry mouth also has impacts on dental health, leading to inflammation, infections, and even tooth decay.

That’s due to the fact that saliva works within the oral cavity to improve the mouth pH, and also prevents demineralization within the teeth.

Artificial Saliva 

This is something that is great for managing and treating the dry mouth symptoms that are there.

You’ve got three main actions that happen. You can manage these conditions through medications, preventing the decay of teeth, and boosting saliva production. 

When you’re increasing this, you can get artificial saliva rinses or sprays, which you’re able to purchase. There are also drugs that boost saliva production naturally. Artificial saliva is great for helping this, but keep in mind they don’t have the enzymes used for digestion, and it doesn’t have the same minerals that the regular saliva that your body makes.

It’s important that, if you do use artificial saliva, you don’t just rely on this, but also rely on other types of ways to relieve this.

These include: 

• Having water, or sugarless drinks that don’t contain caffeine 

• Using humidifiers 

• Chewing gum that’s sugar-free, or having candy that’s sugar-free to suck on

• Avoiding foods that are dry, hard for you to chew, along with spicy and salty items 

• Using a lip lubricant 

• Avoiding sugary or sticky foods 

• Avoiding tobacco and alcohol, even mouth rinses that have alcohol within them 

You’ll want to try different kinds of treatments that do work best and using this is based on the direction of the doctor, however, when you consume these, do not drink or eat for up to 15 minutes after you’ve used this. 

Substitutes Vs. Stimulants 

There are also saliva stimulants, but they’re a bit different. Saliva substitutes do cause you to have a more moist mouth, and they usually are devices.  They won’t stimulate your salivary glands, but they can help with moistening the mouth.

But a saliva stimulant is basically a way to boost the production of this in there.  The best way to boost this is through chewing, causing the muscles to start to compress, release the saliva, and boost the production. Chewing gum for instance might be a great simulant, especially if you don’t want to use a substitute. 

If you are going to stimulate the salivary glands, you should use sugarless gum in order to make this work. 

Overall, it’s important that you get the help that you need with your dry mouth. Discuss this with a healthcare provider, to figure out the best treatment plan. You don’t need to live with this daily annoyance, but there are different treatments that you can get, helping you boost your oral health, and bringing your oral health back to the state that it was in before.

Wisdom Teeth - The Worst Tooth Pain I’ve Ever Been In

Wisdom Teeth - everyone has them! Unless of course you don’t have them, which can happen in some cases. To be honest, I don’t really know what wisdom teeth are, how they form, or what they’re for, but I know that a lot of people have to get them out in their teenage years or early adult life. For me, I had to get mine out at the start of the summer before I began my internship. I was told I had 4 wisdom teeth in total that needed to come out and that they could do it all in one morning. I have heard lots of stories about people getting their wisdom teeth out, including from everyone in my family. It’s a little different from person to person, but for the most part it is generally not the end of the world for most people. Dry sockets were my ultimate fear, however, as I had heard many horror stories about them and how badly they hurt. I remember hearing that tooth pain is some of the most severe pain because the nerve endings don’t need to travel through the spinal cord to get to the brain - they have direct access I guess.

I got my wisdom teeth taken out May 4th, 2021, which also happens to be Star Wars Day - “May the 4th be with you”. Anyways, my mom and I drove down to a dental surgeon in Holland MI and I got all checked in. After some last minute xrays, the dentist's assistant pointed out something strange; I actually had 6 wisdom teeth, not 4. Somehow this was missed in my first round of x rays. The dental surgeon said it’s not that big of an issue and that they could remove the other 2 free of charge. Interestingly, only 2% of people have more than 4 wisdom teeth. So I’m pretty much a huge deal. They administered some laughing gas which didn’t really do too much for me while they put the IV in and prepared to put the full blown anesthetic in my arm. I was kind of nervous at this point and I remember watching the dental surgeon slowly inject the syringe of anesthetic and asking him if I’m gonna fall asleep soon. That’s the last thing I remember. 

The surgery went well and they woke me up to keep me in the stabilizing room to make sure there were no problems immediately after surgery. I barely remember anything at this point because I was still under a lot of sedation, but I took a few videos of myself and I didn’t appear to be super confused about what was going on. My mom told me later that I was the most put together out of my sisters, so that’s pretty good I guess. 

The recovery process for the holes where my wisdom teeth once were was longer than I expected. I experienced quite a bit of pain the first few days and having to keep the gauze in my mouth was very annoying. After about 4 or 5 days, things started to get better. That is until I got an infection on my left side which caused my jaw and mouth to continue bruising and swelling. This is some of the worst pain that I have ever been in.

Treatments for Ankyloglossia

If you’re someone that has an infant with issues involving breastfeeding, or if there’s issues with moving the tongue, there is a chance the child might have ankyloglossia. So what is that exactly? Is there a way to fix it? Well, you’re in luck because we’ll walk you through everything, and what you as a parent may expect from this.

What Ankyloglossia is 

This is known by many as being tongue-tied, and is a congenital sort of condition, so it will affect children from the moment they’re born.

In those who have tongue tie, the thin part of the tissue known as the lingual frenulum, which attaches the tongue towards the floor of the child’s mouth is shorter or bigger than usual.

This connection impacts the overall mobility of the baby or child’s tongue, and causes trouble with speech, and breastfeeding.

Only half of the children with this condition have issues with breastfeeding. So what causes this? Well, it may happen when the child’s in the embryonic stage, where they’re fused towards the floor of their mouths, prior to detachments with development.

For those who have tongue tie, the tissue won’t properly thin or recede, not detaching correctly at this stage. 

If you’re worried about this, don’t fret. There isn’t a way to prevent this, and it affects a tenth of children. You’re not alone, nor are you at fault. It’s pretty simple and relatively painless for someone to get this treatment for infants. 

The symptoms. 

The presentation of the condition does vary quite greatly. It may impact the baby’s life, or their child’s life, but in a lot of cases, there’s mild symptoms. 

The symptoms, however, might change based on the stage of one’s life. 

The symptoms for infants include: 

• Issues with breastfeeding 

• A notched or heart-shaped appearance on the tongue of a child 

• A click when they’re nursing 

• Problems with weight gain 

• A very high level of hunger 

For young children: 

• Speech issues and difficulties speaking 

• Issues with swallowing 

• Issues with sticking their tongue out, kissing, moving it from one side to the other, or positioning it near the roof of the mouth 

For mothers: 

• Low milk supply 

• Breastfeeding being discomforting 

• Nipples that are tender 

Regardless of the symptoms of a child, you should always check with medical professionals if you do have ankyloglossia. 

Treatments 

For this condition, you may not need treatment right away. But if there are issues with swallowing, feeding, or speaking, there may be a corrective procedure required. 

The best procedure for this is tongue tie division, or a frenectomy, which consists of cutting out the tissue that connects the tongue to the mouth floor.   It is generally painless for an infant, but there might be some pain relievers or anesthetic done.

Now that it’s simple enough for treating, it doesn't usually require pain meds.

But there is some aftercare that might be done, and if you have questions, you should reach out right away. always schedule the follow-up appointments too, in order to ensure success.

There is a chance that there might be some blood in the mouth and the stool.   To stop this, you may want to use gauze or cloth, submerging this in ice water. Apply this with some mild pressure for a couple minutes.

Using a bottle or breastfeeding might also help. But if there are issues still with swallowing, breathing, or bleeding abnormally, seek medical care immediately.

There is also some possible issues with breastfeeding too. But the good thing is that usually after a week or two it goes away.

Effects of neglecting the dentist

I have recently found out that neglecting your dentist visits is highly risky. There are many different kinds of illnesses and diseases that can form and take root if not dealt with. That is why going to the dentist is very important as they clean your teeth and check for any illnesses and diseases that may be trying to form as well as any issues with the teeth. 

Tooth decay is one kind of disease or illness that can form from the neglect of going to the dentist. This happens when plaque eats away at the teeth. Plaque forms from eating and drinking. It is always coming. If plaque is not removed by brushing or dentist visits, then disaster can strike. Plaque mixed with bacteria will slowly eat away at the tooth enamel and eventually the gums. After a while, if left untreated, then your teeth could fall out. This is what is knows as tooth decay. Tooth decay also causes bad breath regardless of how much brushing or mouthwash has been done. This can be fixed with extensive work such as root canals or a crown. 

Speaking of tooth decay, gum disease will be an issue. If tooth decay is left untreated, then it will evolve into gun disease or gingivitis. This disease attacks the gums. The gum’s primary purpose is to form a tight seal around the teeth and keep the base of the tooth as well as the roots safe and healthy. Plaque build-up will attack the teeth and eventually the gums. It will eat away at the gums and break that tight seal. The bacteria will then be able to settle on the base of the tooth and attack the roots as well as the gums as free will as it is now in a tough spot to get to. This will lead to bleeding, swelling, and sensitivity in the gums. 

The final kind of problem that can arise if you choose to neglect the dentist as well as brushing is staining. This one is not as serious as the previous two unless you like a pretty white smile. Drinking coffee, tea, soda, and smoking cigarettes will lead to this issue and leave you with an unattractive smile. An easy way to make sure this does not happen is to make sure you are brushing your teeth every day and night, as well as making sure to go to every dentist appointment that is scheduled. A professional dental cleaning can help remove these stains, but that is a lot of money and can be easily avoided by brushing your teeth. Some darker stains will require more specialized cleaning. A cosmetic dentist will need to work with you, and they will help get your teeth white but again, that is a lot of money. Way more than a simple cleaning. 

Going to the dentist can be a scary experience, but it is essential for your oral health. If you choose not to brush, floss, or even use mouth wash, then you are at risk of one if not all of these oral issues. Simply going to the dentist when appointments are required will help prevent and stop all of these diseases and problems. I personally do not like the dentist, but I make sure to go to every appointment as well as brush my teeth twice a day.