If you suddenly notice that you are grinding your teeth in sleep more often nowadays than earlier, you are not alone in this. Nearly one adult out of 12 suffers from teeth grinding at night. There could be various causes for this phenomenon. They can range from having an abnormal bite or having crooked or missing teeth to having sleeping problems like insomnia, disturbed sleep, etc. Other than this, the stress in your daily life is a major factor in teeth grinding.
Though it does not do much harm to most individuals yet, sometimes it can cause you dental fracture or severe jaw pain that can keep you up at night. All of these can be taken care of by applying some simple home remedies for teeth grinding.
What has made these home remedies for teeth grinding so famous is that they comprise mainly household and easily available items and are cost-effective at the same time. So with further ado, let us have a better look at some of the most applied remedies.
Contents
What Are The Causes Of Teeth Grinding?
Teeth grinding is a very common issue in human beings, and the main cause behind it is your stressful and anxiety-filled life. Also, missing some teeth or having crooked ones or having an abnormal bite could be the reasons behind teeth grinding. Last but not least, if you have sleeping disorders or insomniac problems, you could experience teeth grinding. Though teeth grinding is generally a nighttime phenomenon, teeth clenching can occur during the day.
12 Useful Home Remedies For Teeth Grinding
These remedies generally include pocket-friendly processes, easy to apply and simple. For applying these in most cases, you would not even need to visit the market as these things are found in our homes most of the time:
- Splint Therapy – Splint therapy is one of the effective home remedies for teeth grinding. You can use a dental bight guard, occlusal splint or a night guard in this. This will prevent you from grinding your teeth together at night because the guard will become a barrier between your upper and lower teeth. Though you can find this at any drugstore, it is better if you go to a dentist to fit your bite because your grinding behaviour could increase if the guard is poorly fitted.
- Warm Compress – A warm compress is among the good home remedies for teeth grinding as it reduces pain by facilitating blood circulation in that area by relaxing the muscles. You can either apply a warm washcloth on your cheek or lay your mouth against a heating pad to do this. You can also use hot water bottles as they can fit easily in your temples and jaw.
- Jaw massage – Another effective way to minimize pain associated with teeth grinding is to massage your fatigued jaw muscles. You can follow several processes to massage your jaw muscles, but here are some massages that you can do as your home remedies for teeth grinding:
- Close and open your jaws fully 10 times
- Move your jaw from side to side 10 times by opening your mouth.
- Start at the jawline beneath your ears and slowly move downwards; wherever you find knots or pains, gently massage In a circular motion with the pads of your fingers.
- Stress reduction techniques – Stress has a very adverse effect on your whole body, and it can harm you in different ways. It will be perfect if you implement stress-relieving techniques into your daily routine. Add cardio exercises to your routine and keep a good focus on your overall health to learn the triggers of your stress better and manage it effectively. Here are a few ways to lessen stress in your daily routine:
- Meditation
- baths
- yoga
- walks
- journaling
- Mindful Teeth Placement – If you can build awareness about how your jaw is set can be a great way to reduce clenching or grinding. Be more mindful of your teeth placement by keeping a gap between your upper jaw and your lower jaw. You should do this as much as you can to remember your teeth’ placement. This acts as one of the most viable home remedies for teeth grinding.
- Magnesium Rich Foods – Magnesium is a mineral of alkaline nature, has well-known heart and muscle benefits and helps relax blood vessels and muscle tissues. To reduce the pain, you can apply topical magnesium lotions or sprays on your jaws or seek to increase magnesium intake by eating magnesium-rich food like cashews, spinach, pumpkin seeds, almonds, etc.
- Herbal Tea – Drinking herbal tea is also one of the home remedies for teeth grinding. Herbal tea relaxes your body and mind and lets you have a grinding-free day. It will help if you drink a cup of herbal tea to reduce your chances of grinding while sleeping.
- Turmeric Milk – Night-time milk is already a favourite item for many, but adding turmeric to it will increase its food value. The amino acid tryptophan present in milk soothes your nervous system and relaxes your mind, and the curcumin in turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory. You can prepare turmeric milk (also called golden milk) by heating the milk you like and adding a little bit of black pepper, cinnamon, your favourite sweetener, and some turmeric. Leave this mixture for 10 minutes, and then drink to your heart’s content.
- Vitamin C – Vitamin C has inflammation-boosting properties and several other health benefits. It can help you get relief from your stress as vitamin c benefits the adrenal glands. Vitamin C can be found in several fruits and vegetables like citrus fruits, lemons, blackcurrants, broccoli, strawberries, pepper etc. You can also take your doctor’s advice to add more Vitamin C-rich foods to your diet.
- Valerian Root – A prevalent herb, valerian, finds its use as the ingredient in many medicines for curing anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, etc. Valerian roots are good home remedies for teeth grinding, and you can either take valerian pills a couple of hours before going to bed or soak dried valerian roots in hot water to give you relief from stress.
- Avoid hard and sticky food – You should stay away from nuts, popcorn, hard candies and other hard foods like this. Also, take care not to consume too many sticky foods like peanut butter, and it is better if you avoid chewing gum.
- Epsom salt baths – Epsom salts are salt lookalikes, but their numerous benefits give them a high magnitude compared to plain old table salt. Epsom salt has detoxing elements that extract the toxins and heavy metals present in your body. Epsom salt also comes on the list of good home remedies for teeth grinding as they help to reduce pain, soothe your sore muscles and relax your mind and body, thereby letting you have a night of calm and peaceful sleep.
Closing Thoughts
Experiencing teeth grinding at night has now become a widespread phenomenon as the main cause of this is your hectic and arduous daily schedule. Though there are several causes of teeth grinding, stress is the most damaging of all of them.
If your teeth grinding is giving you too much trouble, you can try the common home remedies for teeth grinding which are quite simple and easy to apply. But if your problem persists even after applying these remedies, you must consult your dentist as soon as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How can I stop my teeth from grinding at night time?
You may use a mouth guard or mouth splint at night to stop grinding your teeth while asleep.
Q2. What can I use as a home remedy for teeth grinding other than night guards?
Other than night guards, you can use botox treatments or occlusal splints.
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