Nightmares and Teeth Grinding

30 Aug
Nightmares teeth grinding

My daughter has signs of teeth grinding. She is nineteen years old, has perfect teeth (of course, I had something to do with that), and gets her teeth cleaned and checked every three months. So when I saw her last month and found signs of teeth grinding, I was shocked. But like any dentist, when you see signs and symptoms of grinding, especially tooth wear and breakdown in your nineteen-year-old, you step in and make her a nightguard. But not just any nightguard…you make her one that is anatomically contoured and shaped for her functional and habitual movements of the jaw – an anatomic orthotic.

This is not the article to discuss orthotics in detail. If you want more information on orthotics, check out the rest of the website or other blogs. But this is an article I was compelled to write as a result of her first night sleeping in her new nightguard.

She takes the nightguard home, sleeps with it in her mouth, then the next day shocks me with this: “this is the best sleep I have ever had! And best ever, I did not have a nightmare!!!”

WHAT??? What are you talking about? A nightmare? What does that have to do with the nightguard? Apparently, it turns out, a lot! New research in sleep and tooth grinding shows a link between tooth grinding and nightmares! Who knew? Well, apparently the researcher did. And my daughter. She tells me she’s had nightmares every night for the longest time, debilitating nightmares, where she wakes up many times a night and is terrified to go back to sleep… Until last night. She tells me that she slept amazingly well and with great dreams with her new nightguard. So I waited… before posting this article. It’s been 6 months. No nightmares, no grinding, no wear or damage to teeth, and most of all, a full night’s sleep.

About Dr. Agatha Bis

Oakville DentistDr. Agatha Bis, DDS received her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1996. With over 25 years of clinical experience creating beautiful and healthy smiles, Dr. Bis offers a unique approach to dentistry, blending modern dental practices with the use of digital technology to optimize health outcomes. With thousands of hours in post-graduate training, her unique focus and expertise in treating TMD and providing options in restorative dentistry, along with digital technology have led to helping numerous patients resolve chronic and debilitating dental challenges.

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