JANINE:  (laughing) Hi I'm Janine Haydel

DR:  And I'm Dr. Ron Zeidler.

JANINE:  And today we are going to talk about something I think a lot of people have a problem with.   I do personally, grinding our teeth at night.  I know this can lead to many other problems.  Tell us what we can do about this.

DR:  Well, grinding and clutching is a very common problem that most people have, but don't know they have it.  We usually do it at night in our sleep.  It's a natural way for our body to subconsciously release the stress that we experience throughout the day; whether it's good or bad.

JANINE:  Well is there something we can use, an appliance or something that can help us to stop this grinding?

DR:  There is one kind of treatment for clutching and grinding, it's called a night guard, but more important that even wearing the night guard, people need to understand that clutching and grinding can cause a lot of different problems in the head and neck area.

JANINE:  Well I noticed I had headaches, that was my first tip off; then I went to the dentist.  What other problems will we have?

DR:  Symptoms can be from none to severe.  You can get headaches, neck aches, receding gum lines, bone loss, worn teeth, cracked teeth, tooth aches, and jaw aches.  The most common is the TMJ Temporary Mandibular Joint area.  That causes a lot of problems for many people.  All of these symptoms can be experienced on many different levels by different people.

JANINE:  So when we notice those symptoms and we go to the dentist, what kinds of things outside of this night guard could we use to eliminate this problem?

DR:  Well, a night guard is always the first line of defense.  Everyone should get on if they are clenching or grinding their teeth.  There are other thing you could do during the day to eliminate some of the clenching.  Usually at night before you go to sleep you want to try to relax yourself; maybe stretching or meditating.  You want to take an anti-inflammatory, like Motrin.  Or you may want to drink a hot cup of tea.  Things that relax you.  You definitely don't want to watch the news!

JANINE & DR:  (laughing)

JANINE:  That's a good point.  I used to watch the news every night.

DR:  I did too, and I stopped and now I get a much better night's sleep.  Those are the things you can do on your own, but the night guard is definitely a great thing to wear.  It will save a lot of damage from occurring inside your mouth and the head and neck area.

JANINE:  More wonderful advice Doctor.  I'm Janine Haydel

DR:  And I'm Dr. Ron Zeidler.

CONTACT INFO:

Ron Zeidler D.M.D., Cosmetic, Reconstructive & Implant Dentistry,  Zeidler & Zeidler Dental Corporation.

email - zeidlerdental@pacbell.net  -  tel. 310.552.2724

10231 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite D, W. Los Angeles, CA 90067.