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Always Grinding Teeth And Have Dry Lips. How To Get Rid Of This Problem?
Question: Hi there. When i was young i ripped my lip on the side. it stiched well but 5 years on i realised my lip was drooping more and more and excess skin hanging. Constant dry and dead skin. Also in the mean time i realised i grind my teeth at night very very much. so this has left my teeth bad state plus excess skin hanging. it effects my speech, the way i talk and smile and my confidence. P.s i have got a mouthguard recently which eases my teeth but i feel the damage has been done. what can I do to solve these problems?
Hello XXXXXXX
thanks for writing to us,
I would like to inform you that night grinding of teeth is related to stress, anxiety, malpositioned teeth, etc. and treating the cause is the first line of treatment.
I appreciate that you are currently using a night guard, it will protect your teeth from further damage from the chewing or grinding forces.
With continuous night grinding, teeth become shorter, this further reduces the facial height causing drooping of the skin around the lips or mouth.
I would like to provide a few tips for you to follow them;
1.) avoid alcohol(it increases the tendency to grind teeth),
2.) avoid chewing gum,
3.) avoid drinks or food which contain caffeine,
4.) keep a check on yourself during the day,
5.) at night, apply warm compresses in front of the earlobe to relax jaw muscles.
For correcting the damaged teeth, I advise you to see a prosthodontist, a full mouth rehabilitation is indicated, it involves treating the cause followed by placing crowns or veneers on the teeth.
I hope this answer was useful,
feel free to post further queries,
I wish you good health,
take care.
thanks for writing to us,
I would like to inform you that night grinding of teeth is related to stress, anxiety, malpositioned teeth, etc. and treating the cause is the first line of treatment.
I appreciate that you are currently using a night guard, it will protect your teeth from further damage from the chewing or grinding forces.
With continuous night grinding, teeth become shorter, this further reduces the facial height causing drooping of the skin around the lips or mouth.
I would like to provide a few tips for you to follow them;
1.) avoid alcohol(it increases the tendency to grind teeth),
2.) avoid chewing gum,
3.) avoid drinks or food which contain caffeine,
4.) keep a check on yourself during the day,
5.) at night, apply warm compresses in front of the earlobe to relax jaw muscles.
For correcting the damaged teeth, I advise you to see a prosthodontist, a full mouth rehabilitation is indicated, it involves treating the cause followed by placing crowns or veneers on the teeth.
I hope this answer was useful,
feel free to post further queries,
I wish you good health,
take care.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Aparna Kohli
Thank you Mr XXXXXXX
One thing is that my upper lip has suffered a lot and has permanetly become thicker and i really have problems with speaking. i was advised for cosmetic surgery on my lip too. but im not sure which i should go first. because a lot of dentists here try to suck money out of you and tell you all your teeth need to be fixed etc. so not sure what step to take. Should i do the lip first or go and fix teeth and if i do is there any doctor you can recomend me in toronto.
One thing is that my upper lip has suffered a lot and has permanetly become thicker and i really have problems with speaking. i was advised for cosmetic surgery on my lip too. but im not sure which i should go first. because a lot of dentists here try to suck money out of you and tell you all your teeth need to be fixed etc. so not sure what step to take. Should i do the lip first or go and fix teeth and if i do is there any doctor you can recomend me in toronto.
Thank you for writing back XXXXXXX
I will recommend you to opt for the dental work first as teeth are the cause and need to be fixed in order to avoid further damage to the lips and surrounding area.
I apologize; I do not have any reference of doctors practising at Toronto as I practice at a different part of the world. You may be able to find better reviewed dentist through a Google search OR your doctors can help you find one.
Hope this suffices. If you have other concerns, I will be glad to address them.
I wish you good health.
Regards
I will recommend you to opt for the dental work first as teeth are the cause and need to be fixed in order to avoid further damage to the lips and surrounding area.
I apologize; I do not have any reference of doctors practising at Toronto as I practice at a different part of the world. You may be able to find better reviewed dentist through a Google search OR your doctors can help you find one.
Hope this suffices. If you have other concerns, I will be glad to address them.
I wish you good health.
Regards
Note: Find out which dental treatment will work best for your teeth. Ask here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Answered by
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