Teeth clenching may look funny on sitcoms or streaming networks because characters usually clench their teeth in anger. They might even grind their teeth when the princess escapes their clutches, for example. While you may think teeth clenching is funny, in reality, teeth clenching can become a serious problem. Teeth clenching can even make you look older. Here is some information about why teeth clenching is bad for your mouth and for your looks.
What Is Teeth Clenching?
If you clench or grind your teeth from time to time, you most likely don’t have a problem that you need to fix. In fact, over ⅓ of all adult’s clench or grind their teeth from time to time when they are angry or stressed. However, one in 10 adults clenches or grinds their teeth constantly, especially during sleep.
Teeth clenching is when you close your mouth and tighten your jaw muscles. You may not even realize you’re doing it. If you tighten your jaw muscles and you don’t move them, that is called clenching. If you move your jaw muscles and your teeth back and forth, that is called grinding. No matter which problem you have, clenching and grinding are both bad for your teeth.
What Problems Can Teeth Clenching Cause?
Teeth clenching, also called bruxism, can cause a lot of problems for your body. First, if you clench your teeth all through the night, you are doing damage to your teeth. Over time, teeth clenching can wear down, crack, or break your teeth. Clenching can crack fillings, break bridges, and ruin your veneers or crowns. You may not think a little teeth clenching is that bad for your teeth, but over time, teeth clenching can seriously damage your mouth and cause thousands of dollars in damage.
Your teeth clenching can also cause other problems within your body. One reason people suffer from migraines is due to teeth clenching. You may also experience pain in your facial muscles. People who suffer from TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder often grind their teeth. Inflammation of the jaw joint can cause pain, inflammation, and difficulty chewing. Your jaw may even freeze in the open or closed position.
How Can Teeth Clenching Make Me Look Older?
One way teeth clenching can make you look older is all in the muscles. There are three muscles in your jaw that keep it closed: the masseter muscle, temporalis muscle, and the medial pterygoid muscle. If you constantly clench your teeth for years, over time, these muscles grow. Because all muscles grow when you exercise them regularly, you might notice that your jaw looks larger and bulkier. In other words, these muscles can help change the shape of your entire face, which may make you look older.
Also, cosmetic dentistry is a way to transform your stained and damaged teeth to appear more youthful. The cleaner, straighter, and whiter your teeth are, the younger your face looks. Having great-looking white teeth can take as much as 10 years off your face. However, if you clench your teeth, you run the risk of damaging or destroying your dental work, prematurely aging your face.
If you have been clenching your teeth for a long time, you may begin to lose teeth. If your teeth are in the back of your mouth, you may not think you need to replace them. However, if you lose teeth, your body tries to use the surrounding bone and tissue in other body areas. You will lose muscle and bone mass, which make your cheeks look sunken–and that is aging your face.
How To Prevent Teeth Clenching from Aging Me?
Before you begin to freak out overlooking older, there is a way you can reduce the impact of teeth clenching on your mouth and face. You can wear a soft night guard that fits over your upper teeth or over both your upper and lower teeth to keep you from clenching your jaw. However, if you clench your teeth very hard all night long, you may need a hard night guard that fits over your top teeth and prevents you from clenching.
Are you worried that you clenching your jaws might cause you to age prematurely? Why not come in and see us? Comfort Care Family Dental is ready to help you get your teeth as healthy as possible. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
