Treatment Options to Try Before Getting Bruxism Surgery

You’ve been grinding your teeth long enough to tire of the side effects. Jaw muscle pain, fatigue, neck discomfort, and those restless nights of missed sleep! It’s almost like having surgery would be a good thing, but — you’re not quite there yet.

Isn’t there something that could fix your teeth grinding symptoms without going through bruxism surgery?

The answer is: maybe!

Depending on the severity of your grinding and how significant the side effects are, many treatment options could lessen your need for maxillofacial surgery.

Let’s look at these possible solutions here, so you have the knowledge you need to take your next bruxism-fixing steps.

TMJ Therapy

Do you have bruxism, or do you have TMJ? The answer isn’t as clear-cut as you might think.

In many cases, bruxism starts out mild and then leads to temporomandibular joint disorder, otherwise known as TMD. What might have started as teeth grinding could evolve into one of over 30 types of TMDs.

These conditions happen for various reasons. But when they’re caused by bruxism, they’re usually from the pressure of grinding damaging the delicate temporomandibular jaw joint.

On the flip side, if you have a non-bruxism-related TMD, it can cause stress and pain — the perfect environment in your body for teeth grinding and jaw clenching.

Either way, once the TMJ gets involved, you may need a specialist to treat the problem before it worsens.

Treating TMJ Disorders

Your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the body part responsible for opening, closing, and shifting your mouth. The TMJ is hard at work when you chew, talk, yawn, and sneeze.

If anything happens to this sensitive jaw joint and it becomes damaged or dysfunctional, the result is a TMD.

Although there are many types of TMDs, they all share common symptoms, including:

• Pain in the jaw joint
• Earaches
• Stiffness in the jaw area
• Facial pain
• Clicking or popping when moving the mouth

Recognizing when you’ve moved from grinding to a TMD can be a challenge because the symptoms of bruxism and TMJ disorders are often similar. But if you’ve had the problem for a long time and nothing seems to help, the answer may mean heading to a TMJ specialist.

These experts can differentiate between damage from bruxism and symptoms of a TMD. They’ll let you know whether a night guard to prevent wear and tear on your teeth, plus stress reduction techniques, are enough to handle the problem or if TMJ treatment is in order.

Physical therapy and oral occlusal splints are conservative measures that may be tried first. If those don’t work, Botox injections and muscle relaxants are a second line of defense, followed by TMJ jaw surgery for severe cases.

Dentistry Solutions

A second frequent cause of bruxism is related to your dental health. As with TMDs, dental issues and grinding can overlap, with one leading to the other until you’re not sure which came first.

But knowing how your oral health leads to bruxism can help you pinpoint the reason behind your grinding.

You know that your teeth are designed to make it easier to chew food, but much more goes on behind the scenes.

How the upper and lower teeth fit together — called your “bite” — affects how the jaw muscles work, too. Any misalignment in the bite or change in the teeth may make your jaw muscles work harder, triggering bruxism behaviors.

Misalignments and Bruxism

Some of these issues are natural. You may be born with misaligned teeth (a malocclusion), and you never got braces. Maybe you had orthodontics, but your teeth shifted again after you stopped wearing your retainer or your wisdom teeth came in. (Learn More: Why Are My Teeth Shifting Even Though I Had Braces?)

These crooked teeth create an uneven bite that adds extra pressure on the jaw and teeth in certain areas. Bruxism caused by misaligned teeth may be alleviated with treatments such as Invisalign or traditional braces, rather than bruxism surgery.

If you have missing teeth, the gaps could contribute to misalignments. Our surrounding teeth tend to navigate toward the gap in a phenomenon called “tooth migration.” With the newly shifted teeth comes an uneven bite, off-centered pressure, and, therefore, bruxism.

Talk to your dentist about whether dental implants might help you avoid jaw surgery.

Dental Restorations and Bruxism

Speaking of implants, you may already have dental restorations like these, or fillings, crowns, and bridges. Designed to protect your teeth from further damage, these dentistry solutions shouldn’t contribute to bruxism.

However, if they don’t fit right, they could alter your bite and induce jaw clenching and teeth grinding.

Brushing your teeth, flossing, and getting regular dental exams not only help prevent cavities but could also be your direct line to a bruxism-free life! Before you head to the surgeon, your dentist might be the next professional you should visit.

Sleep Apnea Treatment

When your partner snores loudly and consistently, it’s more than annoying — it could be dangerous. This symptom may mean that they (or you) have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder that’s frequently connected with bruxism.

People with OSA have trouble comfortably sleeping through the night because their breathing pauses or stops for short periods. Called apneas, these lapses in breath can last anywhere from 10 seconds to more than 30 seconds at a time.

During that time, the airway collapses, halting airflow until the brain senses it and arouses the person, allowing them to resume breathing.

OSA and Bruxism

Obstructive sleep apnea is linked with serious complications. People with long-term OSA often end up with:

• Type II diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Cardiovascular disease
• Strokes
• Heart attacks

A lesser-known side effect is sleep bruxism.

Studies show that adults with OSA often have bruxism as a co-condition. These periods of grinding frequently correlate with the time of the arousals, meaning when the brain “wakes up” the person with sleep apnea, it also tells the jaw muscles to begin clenching and grinding.

Although bruxism has negative effects on oral health, it serves as a protective measure in sleep apnea patients. It clears the esophagus of acid and increases saliva production, both of which strengthen the airways.

Still, fixing a medical problem with another medical issue is never healthy.

Instead of relying on grinding to keep your apneas under control, talk to your doctor about having a sleep study test. If you have OSA, there are effective techniques that reduce your symptoms and improve your sleep quality, like a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. Your healthcare provider can work with you to create a treatment plan for your symptoms and medical history.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical practice that has gained prominence in Western culture over the past 30 years. The acupuncture needles were FDA-approved in 1996. Some insurance companies now cover the treatment as a popular conservative care method for many health conditions.

During treatment, an acupuncturist uses fine, thin needles to stimulate specific points that connect to the person’s symptoms. The needles alert the body's natural healing mechanisms, affecting the immune and nervous systems and releasing pain-relieving and stress-reducing hormones.

When the right acupoints are stimulated, this treatment may help balance the neurotransmitters in the autonomic nervous system’s branches.

The result? Reduced stress and relaxed muscles; acupuncture may calm bruxing behaviors and soothe jaw pain without the need for an oral surgeon.

At-Home Treatment Options

Not every bruxing solution requires the help of a specialist, though. Some people find effective relief using at-home remedies. These simple solutions might be all you need to relieve bruxism damage or stop it in its tracks:

Custom-Made Night Guards

Night guards come in multiple varieties, from over-the-counter, one-size-fits-most, boil-and-bites to custom-made options fabricated by professionals.

If you’ve been fighting bruxism symptoms for a while, there’s a good chance you’ve already tried one of these oral appliances. But if you aren’t using a custom-made night guard, you might be making your issue worse.

Boil-And-Bite

Boil-and-bite guards aren’t designed to fit your teeth perfectly. Every mouth is unique, with intricate crooks and crevices the subpar material that these guards are made from can’t handle.

Because of this ill-fit, wearing the guards can be uncomfortable and you aren’t protected from the damage of teeth grinding. Worse, the uneven pressure adds stress to your mouth and can force your teeth to shift.

Custom-Made Night Guards

If you’ve been avoiding a custom-fit night guard because of the hefty price tag, that’s understandable. Professional night guards at the dentist’s office can cost as low as $300 but as much as $1,500! In addition to the dental guard, you’re also paying for office visits and other extras.

But you can slice that cost substantially when you shop at reputable night guard fabricators online — like on our JS Dental Lab website. Since our night guards are mail-order, there are no expensive office visits to cover or work to miss. Just grab the impression kit from your mailbox, follow the simple instructions, and return it to us.

Your custom-made night guard will be headed your way a few days after we receive your impressions, and you’ll know quickly whether the right fit makes a difference with your bruxism symptoms.

Here’s How It Works

Stress-Relieving Activities

The primary cause of bruxism is stress. While scholars are still researching the exact connection, we do know that stress-related grinding involves the release of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These chemicals are part of the fight-or-flight mode that puts your body on high alert.

When your brain releases them, your muscles tighten in preparation for survival. Since there’s no one to fight and you’re sleeping, the hormones are eliminated through grinding and jaw clenching.

Stress relaxation techniques before bed or throughout the day push the stress hormones out of your body, managing those unwanted bruxism symptoms.

Things as simple as daily meditation, deep breathing exercises before bed, or taking regular yoga classes could keep you from needing jaw surgery. Other effective stress management techniques include:

• Daily exercise, which not only reduces stress but also encourages the release of happy hormones like endorphins and serotonin
• Practicing mindfulness, including being aware of your body in the moment and paying attention to the sensations around you
• Getting outside in the fresh air, which gives you Vitamin D and can help you relax
• Getting better quality rest
• Taking up a hobby

Think about what makes you feel good and is healthy for you. Then include that activity in your day as often as possible. It might be precisely what the doctor ordered to prevent surgery!

Herbal Remedies/Supplements

We know that some ingredients (such as caffeine and alcohol) act as stimulants, making grinding behaviors worse. Avoiding these foods and beverages is always a good idea if you are trying to stop your bruxing.

However, some herbal remedies and supplements can improve the quality of your sleep, and when you’re resting better, you may grind your teeth less.

Ready to take the natural path? These herbs and supplements are often suggested as potential solutions:

• Melatonin - A chemical in your body responsible for regulating your sleep cycle, available OTC in supplement form
• Valerian Root - An herb connected with reduced anxiety and better sleep
• Passionflower - An herb that has been used for centuries as a nerve reliever
• Chamomile - A flower that has grown in popularity due to its effectiveness in essential oils for enhanced relaxation
• Lavender - Similar to chamomile, a favorite for those looking to relieve tense muscles
• Magnesium - An essential mineral for muscles to function effectively and for deep REM sleep

Whether you drink these natural remedies as a tea before bed, take them as gummy or pill supplements, or enjoy them as essential oils, give them a try. You might find your tension — and your teeth grinding — melting away!

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Conclusion

Dealing with ongoing bruxism is never fun. Between the tooth damage that stems from the grinding pressure and the pain of clenched muscles that can’t relax, you may think that the only way to get relief is through oral surgery.

But there are many levels of bruxism treatment options to try first.

If you’re dealing with sleep apnea or other medical conditions that could be causing your bruxism, talk to your doctor about taking care of them, and the symptoms you’ve dealt with might go away as a result.

In the meantime, shop our night guards at JS Dental Lab to start saving your tooth enamel and gums from the dangers of clenching and grinding!