Minimize Teeth Grinding

If you had a stressful day and you unleashed your tension by grinding your teeth at night you may have paid the price the next day with a headache. For head and facial pain caused by teeth grinding (bruxism), you can get temporary relief with aspirin or acetaminophen. But that doesn’t get to the root of the problem. For that you’ll want to consult with Dr. Rippe. In the meantime, here are some ways to minimize the daily or nightly grind.

-Avoid stressful thoughts, activities, and movies in the hours before bedtime. You probably don’t realize it, but just before bed is the worst time to pay the bills, watch action movies, or talk about sensitive subjects. If you are stressed with worries, write down things that you need to address the next day.

-Take a long, warm bath before you go to bed. While you’re in the bath — or even when you’re lying in bed - cover your jaw with a hot washcloth. The extra warmth will relax your jaw muscles.

-Practice muscle relaxation before you go to sleep, so tension doesn’t lead you to grind at night. When you’re lying in bed, tense the muscles in your feet then relax your feet. Repeat with your calf muscles, then thigh muscles, and so on, progressively tensing and relaxing each set of muscles.

-Avoid eating within an hour of bedtime. Digesting food while you sleep makes you more likely to grind your teeth.