I have been grinding my teeth for several years. I don’t usually even realize that I’m doing it. Then, I started having some mild pains in my back teeth. it’s just a bit of a zing for a couple of seconds that goes away rather quickly. I went to see my dentist. He checked everything and said it is fine. I’m just worried. I don’t know what a cavity feels like because I’ve never had one. Is this really okay or should I be worried?
Elizabeth
Dear Elizabeth,
I’m glad you wrote. Bear in mind that I have not examined you so I can only go by what you’ve shared. I don’t think it is a cavity. You don’t generally feel a cavity until it gets deep and leads to a tooth infection. However, your dentist would have seen that with any decent examination.
I am concerned however that your dentist said that there was nothing wrong. If he knows you’ve been grinding your teeth then he should have addressed that. There would be signs of that on your teeth which he should have noticed. Maybe he is one of those dentists who prefers to only deal with cavities, but that is a grave disservice to you.
You need to have the grinding of your teeth addressed. The further they are ground down, the more it will throw off your bite. This will lead to headaches, jaw pain, and TMJ disorder. I don’t know how ground down your teeth are at the moment, but I recommend that you see a dentist who has advanced TMJ training. The first thing they will do is fit you for a nightguard which will prevent any further loss of tooth structure. What is needed from there will depend on the health of the tooth structure.
The worst case scenario is when you need a full-mouth reconstruction. Basically that means placing a crown on every tooth in order to build your bite back up and keep your jaw in the right place. This is an advanced procedure that you do not want to let just anyone do. So, see that TMJ dentist.
This blog is brought to you by a gentle dentist in Kalamazoo Dr. Susan Dennis.