• Dental Services
  • Patient Education

4 Ways To Relax So You Don’t Grind Your Teeth

Teeth grinding is primarily caused by stress. Grinding your teeth is most commonly done at night when you are asleep, so you may or may not be aware that you are grinding your teeth—although you may have a headache and stiffness of your jaw the next morning. In order to tell whether you have been grinding your teeth or not, visit a 123Dentist.com location—a dentist will be able to examine your teeth and let you know if you have been grinding your teeth.

One way to deal with grinding your teeth is to deal with the stress that causes the habit. Here are four ways to relax so you don’t grind your teeth:

  1. Do things that help you relax—eliminating sources of stress or developing tactics to deal with stress can help you relax so you don’t grind your teeth at night. Stress counselling can help target your core sources of stress and give you tips on how to deal with it.
  2. Remove sources of caffeine from your diet—common sources of caffeine include:
    –          Soda-          Coffee-          Energy drinks

    –          Chocolate

    –          Alcohol

  3. Don’t clench your jaw during the day—try not to clench your jaw during the day or indulge in other stress-related habits such as chewing on pencils or pens. This will help break the habit of biting or clenching your teeth when you’re stressed.
  4. Relax before bed—try to do things that relax you before going to bed instead of doing anything strenuous. Read a book or watch your favourite show to help you relax right before bed.

If the problem persists and you still find yourself grinding your teeth, visit a 123Dentist.com location today! We can provide treatment options for grinding your teeth such as mouth guards.