Natural Bruxism Cure Focuses on Exercise and Massage

Finding a Bruxism cure is one of the biggest challenges for many nighttime teeth grinders and their sleepless partners. Conventional medicine usually employs physical aids and drugs to help fight Bruxism. Mouth guards provide protection for the teeth during nighttime bouts of grinding and jaw clenching. Drugs like muscle relaxers and anesthetics minimize clenching and grinding, while providing pain relief and helping the Bruxer (and their partner) get a good night's sleep.

None of these provides a true Bruxism cure however, and without the crutch of drugs or splints, you people often find that they quickly revert to their old unconscious habits again. Bruxism can cause sleepless nights, pain upon waking when you do get to sleep, and long-term damage to the teeth and Jaw. It is important to create a program that will help treat the cause of Bruxism at its source and end the discomfort for good. Jaw misalignment is one of the major causes of Bruxism, in severe cases, doctors may need to perform surgery to fix the condition, but often it is a result of one side of the mouth being weaker or less flexible than the other is. Jaw stretch exercises and self-massage may be able to provide relief from teeth grinding and help prevent Bruxism altogether without drugs or appliances.

Try this simple routine to get started.

Exercises: One major cause of Bruxism is misalignment of the jaw. Stretching and strengthening exercises can help balance out the misalignment by building up strength and flexibility in the weak side. Exercise is a great way to treat mild and moderate cases of Bruxism without the expense or risk of long-term drug therapy. Common Jaw exercises include shoulder shrugs, neck stretches - rising and lowering the chin and turning the head side to side. Yawning exercises are also a big help as they really stretch out both the muscles and the jaw joint itself.

Massage: Self-massage is a great way to continue the muscle relaxation process. One simple exercise is to rub the scalp in a circular motion just above the ears. Make circles about 2-3 inches in diameter and press on the muscles - if you are in the right place you should be able to feel the results across your whole head. If your muscles are especially sore, you may just want to apply pressure here rather than rubbing or even use the compress from the next step to help bring relief to the tension. If you can, schedule a visit with a trained massage therapist, they can help you work on tension areas and may even be able to teach you more techniques that will help relax your muscles before you go to sleep each night.

Apply Heat: A warm compress is a great way to end your bedtime routine. After you have finished stretching and massage your jaw and neck, take a washcloth and run it under hot running water. Wring the cloth out and then hold it directly on the areas where you usually have the most pain. Keep it there until it cools. The moist warmth will provide the final steps in allowing you to go to sleep with loose relaxed muscles and can help you start to get a good night's sleep, and awake pain free in the morning.