stress

How to Stop Kids From Grinding Their Teeth

January 22nd, 2015

Kid Grinding TeethFor the young and old, teeth grinding is a serious concern. Thankfully there are methods to stopping teeth grinding before it gets too serious. For the young, however, this can be harder to do than for an adult. Children have less of a conscious attitude toward health than an adult, who understands the cause and effect of such bad habits. For children, it will take the help of their parent to stop teeth grinding before it becomes a serious health concern.

Teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, is when the jaw muscles tighten and clench, pushing the teeth together in a way that wears down the enamel of the tooth. The more this happens, the flatter the tooth becomes, and the closer the nerve endings are to being exposed, making the teeth more sensitive.
Almost all cases of teeth grinding happen at night, when the person is asleep, so it can be a hard habit to detect. With children, this is especially hard as they don’t realize why their head might hurt, or why their jaw is sore in the morning, which are two main symptoms of teeth grinding.
The best way one will know if their child is grinding their teeth is by the sound. Much like nails on a chalkboard, the sound of teeth grinding can be excruciating. If you hear a kind of grinding sound coming from your child’s room, you can suspect that they’re grinding their teeth. Often children grind their teeth because the top and bottom teeth are misaligned. They also may grind in response to an earache or teething.
Before heading straight to the dentist, there are ways to help you child relax their jaws and prevent them from teeth grinding without seeking medical attention.

Drinking More Water

Often teeth grinding in children is caused by dehydration. If you have discovered your child grinds their teeth, make sure to have them drink plenty of liquids throughout the day, the most important liquid being water.

Reducing Stress

For both adults and children, stress is a big cause of teeth grinding. For adults, stress can be caused by work or relationship troubles, while for children, it can be more about being scared at night, or having nightmares. To help prevent this, make sure your child isn’t eating too much bad food at night. Junk food with high amounts of sugar and sodium can lead to bad dreams. As well, make them feel comfortable by reading them a book or telling them a story before going to bed. This will help them relax and feel safe throughout the night.
Stress may also be caused by an illness such as an earache. Talking to your child’s pediatrician about ways to reduce pain in the ear and ease your child is recommended.

Relaxing Muscles

When muscles aren’t relaxed, they tend to tighten and clench at night. So it’s important to make sure your child’s muscles are loose, especially the jaw. A good way to loosen all muscles is by doing simple stretches before bed. For the jaw, a rag soaked in warm water and placed along the jawline and against the cheeks will help it become relaxed.

Aligning the Teeth

If the teeth-grinding is due to misaligned teeth, it could be time to seek the help of an orthodontist. Of course, visiting your dentist first for their full opinion is recommended.

Visiting the Dentist

If these practices do not help your child relax their jaw and stop grinding their teeth, you should seek the help of a dental professional. They can provide a mouthguard or other methods to help prohibit your child from grinding their teeth, along with evaluating if any serious damage has occurred due to the grinding.
While teeth grinding can be a serious issue, it is often easily resolved. If you have any more questions or concerns, contact Water Tower Dental. We can help guide you on methods for helping your child stop grinding their teeth and ensure their smiles are bright and healthy.

Dental Phobia: 8 Helpful Tips for Overcoming Your Fear of the Dentist

January 8th, 2015

Dental Phobia: 8 Helpful Tips for Overcoming Your Fear of the DentistMany people have serious phobias of doctors and dentists. Often it comes from past experiences that might not have gone over so well. Other times the fear lacks reason. Either way, there are ways to overcome the fear of the dentist so you can commit yourself to appointments and make sure your teeth are in great health.

The first step to overcoming your fear is to understand that it is a common issue. Popular culture often eludes and overcompensates the actual job of a dentist, giving him or her a crazed look and pliers too big for your mouth. It’s the wrong image of what are actually, caring and gentle doctors that want to help and make you feel comfortable in the dentist’s chair. Once you lose that mentality and understand that a dentist will be as gentle as possible, then you can already start to feel a little safer. Here are eight tips to help make visiting the dentist relaxing and lose your fear of the dentist.

Make an Appointment at a Stress-Free Time

Stress is a major factor that can make your fear of the dentist escalate. Find a date for an appointment that isn’t surrounded with other stressful activities. Consider taking the day off of work, or scheduling around a slower time of the month. Making an appointment during the holiday season or a day before you leave for a European vacation is not the best time for your stress and fear.

Don’t Arrive Too Early

Sitting in a crowded waiting room listening to ominous sounds coming from the dentist’s chair will not help your fear. Try to arrive close to the time of your appointment so you don’t need to spend as much time waiting. It can also help to bring a friend or loved one with you that can sit with you in the waiting room and offer their support.

Have a Conversation With Your Dentist

The best way to alleviate the fear of an “evil” dentist is to talk to them and trust them. This doesn’t need to include a step by step breakdown of what the dentist will be doing to your teeth, but rather, a casual conversation about your day, catching up on a story or two to help you feel comfortable. As well, don’t feel shy about telling your dentist that you have some fears about sitting in the dentist’s chair. Your doctor should be able to help you relax and reassure you that there is nothing to fear.

Bring a Stress Ball

This is a simple way to alleviate fear once you sit down. Squeezing on a stress ball will release your stress and keep you from concentrating too hard on the dentist’s actions.

Bring Headphones

Consider listening to music while in the dentist’s chair. Bring headphones and put on music that relaxes you. This will help keep your mind off of what’s happening.

Practice Meditation Techniques

It helps to practice the techniques that make meditation so relaxing. This includes deep-breathing exercises, clearing the mind, keeping your eyes closed, and focusing on positive energy. This will be especially helpful if you practice beforehand.

Discuss the Procedures With Your Doctor

If you can handle it, talk to your doctor about what exactly is going to happen during the procedure that is being performed. Often, the mind can exaggerate the intensity of the procedure and make it much worse than it actually is.

Talk to Your Dentist About Sedation

If the methods above don’t work for you and you still need a way of coping with the dentist, you can talk to your dentist about sedation techniques that will keep you from feeling anything during your visit. Unless your visit includes a serious surgery, we suggest avoiding this method, as it’s not a long-lasting solution.
Most importantly, it is best to understand that there is nothing to fear about the dentist. At Water Tower Dental Care, our dentists and technicians are caring and highly-trained professionals using the most current and safest technologies available. One visit to our offices and you’ll see, there’s nothing to be worried about. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact Water Tower Dental, voted Chicago’s #1 Dentistry.