You wake up in the middle of the night with a headache. It’s tough to fall back asleep which increases your anxiety. Your teeth are sore and it only gets worse each day that goes by. It’s clear you’ve been grinding and clenching your teeth at night but you’re not sure how to relieve tooth pain from grinding. Let’s discuss some tips for relieving tooth pain from grinding and how you can prevent it.
Teeth grinding and clenching are triggered by stress and anxiety in your life. When you are stressed out about work, relationships, school, or everyday life, you may begin grinding your teeth while you sleep. This habit can affect your daily oral health in a multitude of ways. One of the most obvious signs of teeth grinding is extra sensitivity and pain.
How to relieve tooth pain from grinding starts with what goes into your mouth throughout the day. If you’re a known teeth grinder, you’ll want to avoid eating hard foods. Crunchy carrots and nuts may be a healthy snack but if your teeth are hurting they should best be avoided. You’ll want to stay away from candy and extra chewy foods like steak. Gum is another treat you should avoid because it wears out your jaw muscles. Your jaw muscles are already tired from clenching at night and the extra workload may overstimulate them resulting in a headache.
If you need to relieve tooth pain in the middle of the night, you may want to keep a cold pack next to your bed. Icing or keeping pressure on your muscles or applying ice to your teeth may help in numbing the pain. It’s not something you should be doing every night but it can temporarily help your tooth pain from grinding. You shouldn’t chew on ice however as that extra crunch could crack or damage your teeth further.
Waking up with constant pain in your teeth and jaw can disrupt your sleep cycle. It’s important to have good periods of sleep as your body heals during this time. When you constantly wake up, your body won’t be able to heal the inflamed areas of your jaw muscles which can lead to headaches. If you are going to bed try light massages around your cheekbones, jaw joints neck, and shoulders. This should relieve built-up tension and help provide a better sleep cycle. If you wake up during the middle of the night try gently massaging the areas that are aching.
How to relieve tooth pain from grinding can be tricky as each individual is unique but there is one way to prevent teeth grinding and clenching altogether. Wearing a custom night guard will add a protective barrier to your mouth and protect against the dangers of grinding. If your teeth are without protection they will eventually become worn down and will need to be repaired by a dentist which is a costly visit. A night guard will prevent the damage from occurring and give you relief from tooth pain from grinding.
SportingSmiles has been crafting premium custom night guards since 2009. By ordering the patented impression kit you will take easy impressions at home and ship them back to the SportingSmiles dental lab where our techs will craft you one of six night guards. These teeth grinding guards are the exact same ones your dentist would craft but at half the cost and all from the comfort of your home.
Don’t wait until the nerves of your teeth are exposed. Morning headaches from teeth grinding and clenching will disappear and you’ll return to a peaceful sleep. The best way to relieve tooth pain from grinding is to prevent it in the first place with a night guard!
