A lot of people clench their teeth. More often than not, they don’t even realize they are doing it until after they were already doing it for some time and their jaws begin to hurt.
What most people don’t know, though, is that this behavior, whether you know you are doing it or not, is dangerous to your teeth. It can cost you a lot to fix once the damage has been done, but costs very little to protect your mouth from up front. You just need to talk to your dentist about it.
Clenching Your Teeth Can Damage Them Permanently
One of the typical problems that comes from clenching your jaws is cracked teeth. You put a lot of heavy pressure on your teeth when you clench them, and this is not something they are used to. They can withstand quite a bit, but after some time, they are going to begin to show signs of problems.
The first problem most dentists note is that your teeth begin to crack. Some cracks are purely cosmetic and don’t really do anything good or bad. However, some cracks destroy your teeth. Your clenching can get so bad that if your tooth cracks, there is no other option than to extract the tooth to protect the health of your mouth.
If you notice that you tend to clench your jaw, go in and get seen by your dentist as soon as you are able. They can check out how healthy your teeth are, fix any teeth that require fixing, and they can fit you with a mouth guard to put in whenever you would normally clench.
That way, your teeth do not hit each other when you do it, and they are much more likely to stay healthy. Please contact our office today if you have any questions about your oral health.