Did you know that it is possible that your dentist could diagnose a condition known as sleep apnea? You wouldn’t think that a dentist would be asking questions about a condition related to your ability to breathe at night during your sleep. However, sleep apnea commonly goes hand in hand with bruxism. Bruxism is a fancy word for a condition related to grinding your teeth. If your dentist notices that you are grinding your teeth and is aware of the link between bruxism and sleep apnea then he or she may refer you to another specialist to determine if sleep apnea is the cause of your dental problems.

Research indicates that the leading cause of teeth grinding at night is sleep apnea. Research further indicates that treatment for sleep apnea will result in a reduction or elimination of the problems specific to grinding your teeth. This means that if you get a sleep apnea mask or a CPAP machine to treat your underlying condition then you will stop grinding your teeth at night. There are other treatments for teeth grinding (such as wearing a night guard on your teeth) but treating the condition that causes it is the preferred method for eradicating the problem.

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