Teeth-grinding, or the medical name – bruxism – is a common habit amongst hard-working and stressed Londoners. Around 10% of us do it according to the Bruxism Association, and if you’re aged 25-44 you’re especially prone.
Why is it a problem? As you can imagine the regular pressure and friction on your teeth can lead to damage to the enamel and can even cause breakages in extreme situations. What most teeth-grinders will notice first, though, is the horrible side effects! Headache, earache, mouth and jaw pain and tight, stiff shoulders are all really typical. And even if your teeth-grinding isn’t causing your neck pain as such, you can bank on it at least making it worse. We osteopaths treat neck and shoulder pain everyday in the clinic and treatment of the jaw muscles and advice about how to reduce your teeth-grinding often forms part of our approach.
What can I do about it? The overwhelmingly major cause of bruxism is stress and anxiety. If you think this could be your issue, your first port of call should be attempting to tackle the stress in your life. Simple, right?? Not that this will come as news to you but exercise and meditation can make an enormous difference to the way your body is coping with stress. Attention to a good, healthy diet and quality sleep can help with this too as it keeps your body chemistry on an even keel. Try limiting your caffeine to before lunchtime during the day and consider switching off your devices for at least two hours before bed – both of these things might help you drift off into better quality sleep rather than fighting it with an anxious mind and a restless body at night.
If you need to take it to the next level, night-guards or bite plane splints (similar to a gum shield) are helpful for breaking the habit of teeth clenching – ask your dentist about these. They’re moulded to your mouth in a bespoke way and provide a physical barrier for your teeth.
And as for symptomatic relief, you know where to come! Osteopaths like us can help by treating the overworked muscles in your jaw, neck and shoulders and take some of the feeling of tension away. We’re experts at spotting the signs of tired jaw muscles and want to help you get out of the habit and hopefully experiencing fewer headaches and less neck pain.
Kusaga meno, au jina la kitiba <unk> bruxism <unk> ni tabia ya kawaida miongoni mwa watu wa London wanaofanya kazi kwa bidii na wenye mkazo. Kwa mfano, asilimia 10 ya watu wanaofanya hivyo ni watu wenye umri wa kati ya miaka 25 na 44, na asilimia 10 wana umri wa kati ya miaka 25 na 44. Kwa nini hilo ni tatizo? Kama unavyoweza kufikiria, shinikizo la kawaida na msuguano kwenye meno yako unaweza kusababisha uharibifu wa enamel na hata kusababisha kuvunjika katika hali mbaya. Hata hivyo, jambo la kwanza watakaoona ni athari mbaya sana za kutumia dawa hiyo! Maumivu ya kichwa, maumivu ya masikio, maumivu ya mdomo na taya na mabega yaliyofungwa na magumu ni mambo ya kawaida. Na hata kama kupiga meno hakusababishi maumivu ya shingo, unaweza kutegemea kwamba angalau yatakufanya uwe mbaya zaidi. "Osteopaths hutumia matibabu ya ""mchango na bega"" kila siku katika kliniki, na matibabu ya misuli ya taya na ushauri juu ya jinsi ya kupunguza meno yako-grinding mara nyingi ni sehemu ya mbinu yetu." Ninaweza kufanya nini kuhusu hilo? Sababu kuu ya bruxism ni mkazo na wasiwasi. Ikiwa unafikiria hii inaweza kuwa tatizo lako, kituo chako cha kwanza cha wito kinapaswa kuwa kujaribu kukabiliana na mkazo katika maisha yako. Rahisi, sawa?? Hii sio habari mpya kwako, lakini mazoezi na kutafakari zinaweza kufanya tofauti kubwa kwa jinsi mwili wako unavyoshughulika na mkazo. Kufuata lishe bora na usingizi wa kutosha kunaweza kusaidia katika hili pia, kwani huhifadhi kemikali ya mwili wako. Jaribu kupunguza caffeine yako kabla ya chakula cha mchana na kufikiria kuzima vifaa vyako kwa angalau masaa mawili kabla ya kitanda - vitu vyote viwili vinaweza kukusaidia kugeuka kwenye usingizi bora badala ya kupambana na akili ya wasiwasi na mwili usio na utulivu usiku. Kama unahitaji kuchukua ni kwa ngazi ya pili, usiku-walinzi au kuumwa ndege splints (sawa na gum ngao) ni muhimu kwa kuvunja tabia ya meno clenching <unk> kuuliza daktari wako wa meno kuhusu hizi. Wao ni molded kwa kinywa chako katika njia ya bespoke na kutoa kizuizi kimwili kwa meno yako. Na kuhusu kupunguza dalili, unajua ni wapi wa kuja! Osteopaths wanaweza kusaidia kwa kutibu misuli ya kazi ya kupita kiasi katika taya yako, shingo na mabega na kuchukua baadhi ya hisia ya mvutano mbali. Sisi ni wataalamu katika kugundua ishara za misuli ya taya ya uchovu na tunataka kukusaidia kutoka kwa tabia hiyo na kwa matumaini uzoefu maumivu ya kichwa machache na maumivu ya shingo kidogo.