Hypnotherapy for Teeth Grinding

Bruxism or teeth grinding can be caused by either a physical condition or because of anxiety or emotional reasons. Before we see any client for hypnotherapy for teeth grinding we always ask them to see their dentist or GP before we think about a treatment plan.

This is because a certain percentage of teeth grinding and clenching is caused by either a misalignment with your bite or because of the side effects of medication. Certain medications can cause physical symptoms that cause a problem with jaw clenching so we believe it makes sense to rule out any obvious problems before thinking about a hypnosis session.

If medication or oral health issues are ruled out then in order to stop teeth grinding you need to address any underlying reasons for your problem such as stress and anxiety.

Stress, anxiety and frustration can all contribute to automatic unconscious behaviours such as teeth grinding or jaw tension. Treating bruxism means that lifestyle factors and unresolved thought patterns need to be addressed to make a difference. Hypnotherapy for bruxism doesn’t just deal with the subconscious mind but also looks at lifestyle factors and stress-related problems to help change the unhelpful habit.

The Symptoms of Bruxism

Bruxism or teeth grinding is problematic because of the array of physical and psychological it can cause. Many people also go undiagnosed for years because for many people the problem is happening at night when they are asleep. They only start to become aware of the medical condition when they get a partner or they investigate why they are getting jaw pain with a dentist. Bruxism hypnotherapy can deal with many of the main symptoms either directly or indirectly.

Just some of the common problems that our clients may encounter include:

• Headaches – The constant tooth grinding and tension in the jaw create referred headaches.
• Migraines – For people with more serious bruxism the tension and jaw clenching can cause debilitating migraines.
• Loose Teeth – Dental problems are common as the constant pressure on the mouth starts to cause loose teeth.
• Tinnitus – A less common symptom is ringing in the ears created by the problem.
• Receding Gums – Grinding can cause receding gums which obviously impact your dental health.
• Insomnia – Sleep disorders are common with the issue. Disrupted sleep impacts you psychologically and physically.
• Painful Jaw – Mouth and jaw pain is usually one of the first symptoms that people notice.
• Anxiety – Anxiety is a mental health problem indirectly related to grinding. It can be caused by a worry about the health aspects or because of the poor sleep you may get with the issue.
• Stress – Stress is usually one of the major reasons why our clients may experience bruxism. Instead of dealing with the stress, our clients internalise the problem.
• Tension – Muscle tension is particularly common because of the need to grind your teeth.
• Neck Pain – Muscle tension creates pain in places such as your neck, jaw and as we have discussed can also lead to headaches.

Dentists who review the problem and who have ruled out medication or recreational drugs in their investigations are likely to give you a mouth guard in order to help protect your teeth from further damage. The problem is that mouth guards can be uncomfortable to wear and don’t address the emotional elements of the problem.

We have found that clients who have experienced grinding because of problems in the unconscious mind still carry out the clenching at night. In some cases that repeated clenching has snapped or broken the mouth guard completely. Dental mouth guards moulded to the shape of your teeth are not cheap so the problem can end up being incredibly expensive.

Awake Bruxism Is Also a Problem

Whilst bruxism is often thought of as something that is done at night this isn’t always the case and some of our clients can experience jaw clenching and grinding during the day.

Usually, the activity is not obvious to the conscious mind. It is something that is done subconsciously and becomes a habit like thumb sucking or nail-biting. It is clearly not practical to wear a mouth guard during the day therefore using clinical hypnosis for teeth grinding is often a better solution.

Hypnotherapy for teeth grinding can help to release stress, help clients get into a relaxed state and address the root cause of the problem.

Hypnotherapy for Teeth Grinding

Hypnosis for Bruxism can be a great form of therapy to use if you are experiencing problems and all the physical and medical issues have already been ruled out by your doctor or dentist.

Hypnotherapy treatment is not there to look at physical problems but to determine where the emotional root causes of the problem lie.

The fact is that many issues of grinding are caused because our clients internalise their stress and anxiety, frustration and anger. Rather than venting their feelings and letting them out, they keep them bottled up inside where they can fester. We help out clients understand and let out these negative feelings so that they feel calmer. This tends to have a knock-on effect on their bruxism which lessens or stops.

The initial hypnosis experience should have a soothing effect and be based on relaxation and stress reduction. We take a comprehensive assessment on our first session to understand any emotional elements or lifestyle issues that may be causing a problem. As well as using our hypnotherapy for teeth grinding we may also recommend lifestyle changes as well to improve your general health and well-being.

Subsequent visits for teeth grinding hypnosis tend to involve investigating the root cause of the awake or sleep bruxism. We know that many of our clients are unaware that problems or stresses and anxieties from their past can have an impact on their current health and well-being. Awareness of these issues and tackling them can help relieve unwanted thoughts and subsequently behaviours.

Finding out the heart of the problem allows us to help our clients let go of that emotional problem so that they are feeling relaxed and calm again.*

Self-Hypnosis for Teeth Grinding

All our clients who come for sessions for grinding or jaw clenching are given a self-hypnosis download for stress and anxiety reduction to listen to. This is a form of self-help as it enables our clients to practice deep relaxation and calm in the comfort of their homes.

Regular listening to self-hypnosis audios can be very helpful where muscle tension or stress is involved. When used daily it can help to lessen stressful feelings and create a feeling of peace and calm. If you would like to try this audio for yourself you can purchase it in our online store.

Free Telephone Consultations for Bruxism

If you would like to find out more about Hypnotherapy for Teeth Grinding in Nottingham then please give us a call. We offer all our potential clients a free initial telephone consultation lasting approximately 15 minutes so that we can explain how we work with Bruxism in more detail. We also offer online hypnosis for bruxism worldwide via Zoom, Skype and Facetime.  Just call us on the following number for more details:

01636 650 521

Disclaimer*Please note that as this is a form of therapy we are unable to guarantee results which may vary from person to person.