Teeth Grinding Treatment in Seoul

Signs you may be grinding or clenching

Most grinding happens during sleep, so many people only find out when a partner hears it or a dentist sees the wear. Clenching during the day, often while concentrating, is just as common and can be completely silent.

Over time, grinding flattens and chips teeth, cracks fillings and crowns, and overloads the jaw muscles and joints. It is a common hidden cause of sensitive teeth and of implant or crown failures.

• Flat, shiny or chipped biting edges
• Jaw tightness or pain on waking
• Morning headaches around the temples
• Clicking, popping or locking of the jaw joint
• Cracked teeth or repeatedly broken fillings and crowns
• Scalloped edges on the tongue or a ridge inside the cheek

Treatment: protect, balance, reduce

Protect: a custom night guard spreads force and stops tooth-on-tooth wear. See mouth guards for the types and how they compare.

Balance: if T-Scan shows a few teeth taking excess load, small, measured adjustments or restorations can even out the bite. Worn or broken teeth can be rebuilt with bonding, crowns or, where wear is severe, a planned full-mouth reconstruction.

Reduce: jaw stretches, daytime awareness, caffeine and alcohol limits and sleep review help lower muscle activity. If loud snoring or breathing pauses accompany grinding, a sleep assessment may be advised.

Things to know before you decide

• A night guard protects teeth but does not stop the brain from triggering grinding; symptoms can return if it is not worn.
• Bite adjustment removes small amounts of enamel and is not reversible, so it is only done when measurements support it.
• Over-the-counter boil-and-bite guards can fit poorly and, in some people, increase clenching.
• Jaw-joint pain can have causes outside dentistry; referral may be suggested if findings point elsewhere.
• Grinding with loud snoring or breathing pauses may need a sleep assessment before a standard guard is made.