Nighttime tooth grinding slowly wears down your teeth, and it is possible that your nocturnal habit led to the need for major tooth restoration. While you may be apprehensive about harming your new crown, the truth is that you can make it last for many years with proper care. Now that you've decided to add a restoration to strengthen your underlying tooth, you can use these tips to prevent your tooth grinding from breaking the crown.

Wear a Night Guard

When you know that you grind your teeth, a night guard helps to protect your mouth from damage. Ideally, you should wear a night guard that is custom fitted to your mouth, and a new dental crown may mean that you need to have yours checked to make sure that it still fits. Then, make sure that you wear it every night and be sure to also put it in your mouth if you take a nap during the day. Although dental crowns are strong, they are still susceptible to the same types of damage as your natural teeth.

Reduce Daytime Stress

Your stress levels during the day may affect how much you grind your teeth at night. Take steps to reduce the effects of stress on your oral health. For instance, you can schedule regular meditation breaks during the parts of your day that are the most stressful. You should also set up a relaxing ritual that helps you to feel calmer at night. For instance, you might take a warm shower to relax the muscles in your jaw, or you could try giving yourself a soothing facial massage. Easing tension helps your jaw to relax as you sleep.

Keep Up With Your Checkups

Your dentist can often detect signs of wear and tear on your crown while they are still easy to fix. For instance, they may be able to use composite bonding to repair a chip on your crown instead of having to replace it right away. Since grinding can also cause gum recession, your dentist will check around the margins of the crown to make sure that there is still a good seal. Making sure that the crown does not get loose helps to prevent decay from developing underneath the crown that would require further treatment.

Grinding your teeth at night does not have to ruin your efforts to take care of your oral health. Instead, be sure to mention your habit to your dentist so that they can help you take the proper steps to protect your dental crown as well as the rest of your teeth. Talk to a dentist, such as Gregory S Rutherford, DDS, for more tips.