Teeth grinding is quite common to occur in children, however, there are some children who can’t outgrow their teeth grinding problems and bring it until they turn adults. Teeth grinding is a medical condition that causes people to unconsciously clench and/or grind their teeth during the day or even during sleep. If left untreated, teeth grinding can cause several different complications, from teeth crown damages, headaches, earaches, to temporomandibular joint pain. The actual and specific cause for teeth grinding or bruxism is not known yet, however, it has been found out that teeth grinding can be greatly associated with psychosocial factors, especially stress. There are a lot of different remedies that can be done in reducing teeth grinding and/or its complications, such as mandibular exercises, tongue exercises, acupressure, etc.
Natural Remedies for Teeth Grinding
Herbal remedies for teeth grinding are usually used to help in eliminating or even just reducing causative factors for the medical condition. As mentioned earlier, psychosocial factors such as stress can increase a person’s risk for teeth grinding. Many herbal remedies available for teeth grinding can help in reducing negative effects of stress or even preventing stress from happening. Even though herbal remedies are natural remedies, you will still have to see your dentist or doctor to properly diagnose your present condition and determine whether there are herbal remedies that will not do your present condition any good or worse, some herbal remedies can aggravate your present medical condition.
Herbal Remedy for Teeth Grinding: Chamomile
Chamomile is a very famous herb for its relaxing properties. Chamomile is a daisy-like herb that is usually used in relieving stress, anxiety, sleep disorders, and digestive problems. Chamomile comes in many preparations. To help in relieving stress and promoting relaxation, drinking a cup of warm chamomile tea can do the trick. Aside from relieving stress, chamomile also contains anti-inflammatory properties that can help in jaw alignment problems in teeth grinding. In alignment problems in the jaw, chamomile can help in relieving or decreasing inflammation in the muscles and joints in the jaw area.
Herbal Remedy for Teeth Grinding: White Willow
White willow has been long famous for its medicinal purposes. For teeth grinding, it is usually the bark of the white willow tree is used. White willow has an active ingredient, the “salicin”, which acts as an anti-inflammatory. Anti-inflammatory properties can help in reducing pain brought by constant and forceful teeth grinding. And white willow can also help in reducing inflammation in the muscles and joints surrounding the jaw area, which can be beneficial in correcting jaw misalignment.
