What are the Top Causes of Teeth Grinding & Jaw Clenching?

While you may knowingly grit your teeth when your favorite team loses, others may experience a more involuntary and often repeated habit of teeth grinding and jaw clenching known as Bruxism. This condition causes major wear and tear to an estimated 10% of people’s pearly whites, and while there’s generally no single cause for this condition, stress, lifestyle habits, medications, and sleeping conditions are major contributors. In other cases, excessive alcohol, caffeine, and/or psychoactive substance consumption can increase a person’s chance of developing this involuntary grinding. Whichever the cause, one thing is for sure Bruxism poses a significant problem for your teeth’ enamel, jaw, and facial tensions, and the effects can certainly be uncomfortable.

Bruxism & Sleep Disorders

While Bruxism can occur while you’re awake oftentimes, we tend to release daily emotional stress during the night, and as a response to poor sleeping patterns, our body triggers muscle hyperactivity that can cause our teeth to grind in multiple periods throughout the night– this is referred to as sleep bruxism. read more

Misinformation about your oral health is around every corner. Whether it be when talking with your friends or scrolling through the internet, when we hear something, it is natural for us to take it into consideration. But, we are here to tell you some of the most common myths when it comes to your oral health; here they are!

Myth#1: The only time you should go to the dentist is when your teeth hurt

Have you ever heard of the saying “prevention is better than a cure?” Well, it is extremely true! Diagnosing potential tooth problems is essential before they exist. When your teeth start to hurt due to an issue, it is harder to treat. Even if you aren’t experiencing pain in your teeth, we strongly recommend constant checkups. 

Myth #2: Sugar is the leading cause of cavities

Throughout the world, more and more people believe that consuming food and beverages that contain high amounts of sugar is the leading cause of tooth decay. read more

Nestled in the suburbs of Chicago, the family-friendly village of Palos Park hosts majestic scenes of nature. With dense, forested hills and plenty of open spaces, it’s not a surprise that this peaceful area was once famed for being an artist’s retreat. It’s now widely considered to be one of the most desirable places to live in Illinois.

The area provides a very suburban feel for its residents, the vast majority of whom own their property rather than renting. You’ll find many green parks in Palos Park, a huge benefit for anyone with children or dogs who enjoy long walks. The schools are also very highly rated, another benefit if you have children! 

If your fantasy is living in a growing rural community and a place where everyone wants to be your friend, Palos Park could be your dream spot. Look around, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by the beauty of nature and a community full of welcoming people. read more

Having sensitive teeth can make many patients’ day-to-day lives bothersome, painful, and unpleasant. All of a sudden, that nice glass of hot chocolate, a bowl of ice cream, or a quick candy snack makes patients feel like someone is yanking their teeth, and it should be treated right away. 

If you are unfortunately experiencing tooth sensitivity, we know that you are looking for fixes, tips, and tricks on how to prevent and or deal with it. At Sheehan Dental, we are always in search of different techniques to help our patients in the best way that we can. So keep on reading about tooth sensitivity, the causes, tips to minimize tooth sensitivity, and how we at Sheehan Dental can help! 

All You Need To Know About Tooth Sensitivity

Sensitive teeth are the result of a wide variety of different causes, but a sensitive tooth develops when the tooth enamel is worn and or when the roots of the teeth are exposed. read more