Snoring is a problem, which haunts households up and down the country. If you live with a snorer, you’re probably aware of the impact that regular snoring can have, from tiredness during the day, to mood swings and strain on your relationships. Thankfully, there are ways of dealing with snoring and often, it’s important to identify the cause. Common causes of snoring include being overweight or obese, sleeping on your back and allergies, but snoring is also more common after drinking alcohol and it may also be linked to tooth grinding. Tooth grinding is also known as bruxism or tooth clenching and it is often linked to anxiety and stress. As well as contributing to an increased risk of snoring, grinding your teeth can also cause tooth wear and temporomandibular joint disorder, which may result in stiffness and pain around the jaw, headaches and earache. If you grind your teeth and it’s causing you or your partner to suffer sleepless nights, we can help! We provide a range of anti-snoring treatments, including mandibular advancement devices designed by Somnowell, and mouth guards to prevent contact between the top and bottom arches of teeth while you sleep.
Temporomandibular joint disorder, also referred to as TMJ or TMD or TMJD affects the joint that connects your lower jaw to the temporal bone of your skull. TMJ also impacts the muscles, blood vessels, bones and nerves surrounding the area. Common symptoms of TMJ disoder includes intense pain in the face, jaw, and sometimes even the neck and shoulders of the patient. You may also experience muscle spasm, ringing in your ears, or hearing loss. Patients also report a clicking or popping sound when opening and closing their mouth and sometimes swelling in the face and mouth. TMJ disorder can also shift the position of your teeth, changing the structure of your overall bite. You may find it difficult to open and close your jaw fully or to swallow normally. There have also been reports of nausea or dizziness. The good news is that TMJ disorder very rarely calls for surgery. Your dentist in Bath will be able to treat you with personalised treatments suited to your individual case. Your dentist may need to alter the surface of your teeth to correct your biting. This can be done through veneers or braces. You may simply require a mouth guard to protect your teeth from grinding at night. There are several options to explore for treatment so come speak with your dentist as soon as possible to stop the pain of TMJ disorder.
One of the first things we notice about people when we first meet them is their smile and their teeth. If a tooth is missing in a smile it is instantly obvious and if you have suffered a missing tooth you are almost certainly very aware of this fact. This can be embarrassing and lead to all manner of efforts to force smiles without opening your mouth. Having a defect such as a missing tooth can be bad for your self-confidence and could be holding you back in other areas of your life and even affecting your relationships.
It may also be affecting the health of your other teeth. Missing teeth cause unwanted movement of the remaining teeth, which leads to misalignment and sometimes painful bite complaints such as TMJ. Therefore, Bristol dentists always recommend replacing a missing tooth or teeth as soon as possible.
One of the most popular and permanent ways of doing this is with a dental implant. Implanted directly into the jawbone, a dental implant is a small titanium screw that acts as a base for an artificial crown. Because it replaces the root of the tooth as well as the visible part, it has many advantages over other dental replacements. For example, it will not prohibit the eating of certain foods which dental bridges and partial dentures might.
Dental implants are almost always permanent and will not need replacing after a number of years. This means that once you have had the operation you can get on with your life and never have to worry about it again. Ask your dentist for more information about the benefits of dental implants.
Dr Gerrard is a Bristol based Cosmetic dentist with many years of experience and is one of only a small number of dentists accredited by The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry