[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJaCfEHH2Zw[/youtube]
So you are really stressed and now the dentist is telling you that you have bruxism! Hypnosis can help. Teeth grinding, bruxism, TMJ and other stress related ailments are on the rise with the economic slump. All the stress reduction techniques in the world will not stop the stressors, but hypnosis can certainly help how you respond to stress. It is easy to learn how to hypnotize with the self-hypnosis tools and resources here at Hypnosis Health Info. Learn how to relax even in these stressful economic times with hypnosis relaxation. Be sure to get my free relaxation hypnosis MP3 download and relax.
In a October 8, 2009, New York Times article Camille Sweeney reported that “With economic pressures affecting millions of Americans, dentists may have noticed a drop in patients opting for a brighter smile, but they are seeing another phenomenon: a rise in the number of teeth grinders.
“I’m seeing a lot more people that are anxious, stressed out and very concerned about their financial futures and they’re taking it out on their teeth,” said Dr. Steven Butensky, a dentist with a specialty in prosthodontics (aesthetic, implant and reconstructive dentistry) in Manhattan.
One of his patients lost hundreds of thousands of dollars invested with Bernard L. Madoff. Another reported that he had lost a job with a seven-figure salary. A third, a single mother with a floral design business on Long Island, said she was working twice as hard for half as much.
Dr. Robert Rawdin, another Manhattan dentist with a specialty in prosthodontics, said he had seen 20 to 25 percent more patients with teeth grinding symptoms in the last year. And in San Diego, Dr. Gerald McCracken said that over the last 18 months his number of cases had more than doubled. They, along with other dentists interviewed for this article, chalk it up to the economy.
“We’re finding in a lot of double-income families, we have the people who have lost jobs and are worried, and then we have the spouse, who still has the job, with the added pressure and uncertainty,” Dr. McCracken said. “This can cause some real grinding at night.”
With or without economic hardship, 10 to 15 percent of adult Americans moderately to severely grind their teeth, according to Dr. Matthew Messina, a dentist in Cleveland and a consumer adviser for the American Dental Association.
Because it is a subconscious muscle activity, most grinders grind without realizing it, until a symptom such as a fragmented tooth or facial soreness occurs.
Stress has long been known to set off clenching and grinding in some people. Recession breeds stress and our body responds to stressful events so in times like these, the incidence of bruxism goes up. Over the last year or so dentists around the country have seen an uptick in patients with bruxism while also complaining about financial stress.
Stress, whether it’s real or perceived, causes flight-or-fight hormones to release in the body. Those released stress hormones mobilize energy, causing isometric activity, which is muscle movement, because that built-up energy has to be released in some way. Something as simple as taking time before bed to de-stress has been known to help.
“Good sleep hygiene goes a long way to keeping the mind relaxed and the jaws from starting to smack together,” said Dr. McCracken, who has studied the relation of sleep to teeth grinding. “We know that the stress center of the brain is directly next to the part of the brain that controls teeth grinding. We’re not sure how it relates to the disorder, but it’s intriguing. Lately, I even tell my patients, before they go to bed, not to watch the news.” Read When Stress Takes a Toll on Your Teeth in its entirety.
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Since most folks aren’t even aware of their grinding most of the time, they probably aren’t aware of what stress exactly is causing their bruxism, right? Do you favor a process that identifies that, Roger, or do you not worry about the exact cause and just help folks move forward?
Great question Paul! You are so right that most people aren’t aware of grinding, it is done unconsciously which makes hypnosis the perfect tool for change. For the most part, knowing the exact cause isn’t necessary – just learning how to relax and how to respond when stress occurs is most important. Thanks for asking!
can you remark more on your thoughts on botox injections, as NYT mentioned in that article?
Anyhow, I’ve used an MP3 for bruxism. I recall after a few weeks, now and then I would wake up with a bit of a sore hand. The mp3 channeled my stress in my jaw to go down to my hand. To me, this was good– if it’s going to be anywhere, I’d rather have it between my thumb and index finger– 98% or something of the hand’s muscle strength, a nurse told me, was in these 2 fingers…
Sorry, I have not researched botox for bruxism. Overall, I am not a botox fan.
I’m wondering why the hypnosis MP3 channeled the stress from your jaw to your hand – when you hear that, see the stress continuing to flow right out of your hand harmlessly into the atmosphere for the highest good. Let me know how that works.