Common Causes for Dental Misalignment When You Wake Up
Posted on 6/15/2019 by Dr. Jae Seon Kim
When you wake up in the morning, do you ever feel like your teeth aren't aligned quite right? It is possible that you may wake up with misaligned teeth if you'e under a lot of stress.
Fortunately, this misalignment usually isn't permanent, and in most cases, your alignment will return to normal after a few minutes. But what causes this issue, and can it be permanent?
Bruxism
If you grind your teeth at night, your jaw may end up out of alignment. That's because you've been unconsciously moving it around all night, grinding and clenching the muscles. This wears down your teeth, affects the joints and bones in the jaw, and makes your muscles sore. In fact, you may wake up with a very sore face and a misaligned bite. Usually, bruxism is due to stress, so you may need to examine your life and identify the stressors that are behind this issue.
TMJ Problems
Bruxism can cause TMJ disorders, but there are other things that can lead to problems with the joints that open your mouth. Any of these problems can affect your dental alignment. You will want to come in and see us if you believe you are dealing with any type of TMJ.
Handling Dental Misalignment
If you do find yourself grinding your teeth at night and are able to address the underlying stressful situation, your bruxism may go away on its own. In that case, your dental alignment may go back to normal. If you were grinding your teeth for a good amount of time, though, or if you have a more severe issue with the joints in your jaw, you may need to come see us for help. We will examine your jaw and determine the underlying cause of your misalignment so we can come up with a treatment plan.
When you wake up in the morning, do you ever feel like your teeth aren't aligned quite right? It is possible that you may wake up with misaligned teeth if you'e under a lot of stress.