Really Smile

How Dental Work Can Help with Headaches

By Really Smile on March 23, 2023

Headaches are one of the most common problems for most of us in the Carmel area. In fact, 36 million Americans suffer from migraines, so it’s a prevalent issue for people across the country. Almost 25 percent of homes include someone with migraines and it ranks in the top 20 of the world’s most disabling medical illnesses.

So, what causes them? Surprisingly, as many as 75 percent of them might be due to dental problems.

Specifically, they could be caused a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. TMJ disorders involve problems with the jaw and severe headaches are just one of the symptoms. It could also be because of a missing tooth, a misaligned bite or crooked teeth. That’s why it’s important to consider visiting a dentist before you consider costly alternatives.

Dental-Related Headache Symptoms

The big question is, how do you know if you’re suffering dental-related headaches or simply migraines? Both involve chronic or severe headaches, but there are other signs that it may be caused by your teeth, such as:

You get little or no success with treatments for migraines.
Your headaches are located in your temples, the back of your head or shoulders.
You frequently clench or grind your teeth.
You experience stiffness or tension in your jaw.

There’s no guaranteed method for determining if you have a TMJ disorder or other dental-related issue, but the best way to identify it is by visiting Dr. Smith at Really Smile to receive an initial diagnosis.

Dental-Related Headache Treatments

Fortunately, headache relief can be much easier than identifying it. Once Dr. Smith provides a diagnosis that you may have a TMJ disorder or other dental-related problem that’s causing headaches, they may prescribe one of the following options:

A massage – Stress and tension can affect more than your muscles; they can cause clenching and grinding teeth. A relaxing technique like a massage can help.
A diet change – Changing what you eat and drink may be helpful, as certain diets decrease sugar intake or increase calcium/magnesium intake.
A nightguard – Used to prevent grinding and clenching, these customized plastic mouthguards (often called nightguards) are usually worn when sleeping and separate your teeth slightly.
A corrective dental treatment – The cause of your headaches may be a simple dental problem. If that’s the case, your dentist will prescribe a treatment that corrects your bite via a crown, bridge or braces. They could also recommend a dental implant for missing teeth.

If you’d like to know more about headaches and dental work—and the solutions we provide for people with TMJ problems in Carmel, IN—schedule a consultation with us today!

5 Sleep Apnea Health Risks You Should Know About

By Really Smile on December 15, 2022

Sleep apnea is a common problem for residents of Carmel, IN, and beyond.

Experts estimate that it affects 936 million people aged 30-69 worldwide. The only problem is, many of us just don’t we have it.

While sleep apnea is usually associated with snoring, there are several other side affects of sleep apnea that are dangerous for your physical and mental health. Here are five of them:

1. Heart Disease

Since obstructive sleep apnea involves blockage of your airways during sleep, it deprives the body from oxygen. This can increase the risk of a heart attack or other cardiovascular issues, especially if it goes untreated.

2. Drowsy Driving

Sleep apnea reduces your ability to fall into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Since your body is constantly being interrupted, it never gets the sleep it truly needs. This can cause fatigue throughout the day, which is especially dangerous for drivers.

3. Depression

Studies have shown that sleep problems may be directly related with mental illnesses like depression. This is likely due to the fact that anything interrupting your body’s “clock” can affect your mood.

4. Headaches

People with sleep apnea also tend to suffer from headaches, especially in the morning. Since sleep apnea stresses your body, it increases tension and headaches are a natural result of that.

5. High Blood Pressure

Also related to body stress, high blood pressure can occur if sleep apnea goes untreated for an extended period of time. Increased stress leads to rising blood pressure, which can damage your arteries and cause plaque to build up.

The good news is that all of these sleep apnea health risks can be avoided with sleep apnea dentistry. From nightguards to snoring appliances, Dr. Smith at Really Smile can design a solution to fit your needs. If you’re interested in one, schedule a consult today!

Is Snoring Bad for Your Health?

By Really Smile on November 17, 2022

Do you live in Carmel, IN, and struggle with snoring? If you do, you’re not alone. Approximately two out of every five people in Indiana struggle with this form of sleep apnea, as does the rest of the nation.

While it may seem like a nuisance (especially for anyone sharing your bed), it may actually cause harm to your brain and overall health, potentially resulting in scary diseases like Alzheimer’s or dementia.

According to research, there appears to be a direct relationship between disrupted sleep breathing and cognitive ability. It makes sense, as any stoppage in breathing can disrupt the amount of oxygen that travels through your blood and reaches your brain.

The good news is that researchers found that people in Carmel, Indiana, and the surrounding areas who use devices to prevent snoring can lower the risk of developing brain disease.

Snoring Statistics

So why is snoring such a problem? For starters, it can affect almost anyone. It’s also a form of sleep apnea, which means people who suffer from snoring stop breathing for anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes.

Here are some other facts about snoring to consider from the American Association of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM):

An estimated 10 to 12 percent of children snore.
Obese or overweight people tend to snore more, as do alcohol and drug users.
An estimated 24 percent of adult women and 40 percent of adult men struggle with habitual snoring.
Both men and women are more likely to snore as they age and snoring appears to run in families.

The biggest problem with snoring is that it often goes undiagnosed. If you think you may snore, it’s important to get evaluated by a physician, then see our Carmel, Indiana, dental practice for a solution.

Snoring/Sleep Apnea Solutions

Dr. Smith at Really Smile Dental can give you an oral appliance that addresses snoring. There are two basic types of these appliances:

Tongue-retaining appliances
Jaw-repositioning appliances

Both open the airway and allow you to breathe easy at night. Dr. Smith can customize your device to ensure it fits properly and is comfortable enough to use during sleep.

If you’d like to know more about snoring and sleep apnea — and how you can address these issues — schedule a consultation with Dr. Smith today!

How To Prevent TMJ Problems

By Really Smile on October 13, 2022

Your jaw is more important than you might think. You use it every day for speaking, chewing, swallowing and yawning. So what happens if there’s a problem with the muscles, ligaments, joints or bones in your jaw? It could result in a painful problem known as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIH) estimates that more than 10 million Americans may be affected by TMJ disorders. That’s about one in every 33 people, meaning Indiana could potentially have an estimated 200,000-plus residents with TMJ issues (based on the state’s population of 6.7 million in 2020).

If you live in Carmel, IN, or the surrounding areas and this sounds like you, read on to discover common types of TMJ problems and how to prevent them.

Common Types of TMJ Issues

One of the problems usually associated with TMJ disorders is pain in your jaw, face, neck or shoulders. This can be temporary or last for many years, but often comes with other problematic side effects. There are also other types of TMJ problems, such as:

Difficulty chewing due to misaligned upper and lower teeth
An inability to open the mouth wide.
Dizziness, headaches, ringing in the ears
Tiredness/swelling on one ore more sides of the face.
Clicking or popping sounds when opening or closing the mouth.

Fortunately, there are several ways to both treat and prevent TMJ disorders in Carmel, Indiana.

Preventing TMJ Problems

It’s important to get a diagnosis from Dr. Smith at Really Smile Dental or another professional TMJ dentist to see if you have a disorder, but there are still steps you can take to prevent or address it. The American Dental Association (ADA) is a great resource for this, as they suggest the following:

Eat softer foods
Use a night guard or bite plate to decrease clenching or grinding of teeth
Focus on exercises that strengthen your jaw muscles
Avoid chewing gum and biting your nails
Use heat packs to combat pain
Practice relaxation techniques to control jaw tension

If you’d like to know more about TMJ problems and how you can prevent them, schedule a consultation with Dr. Smith today!

Bruxism & TMJ: Solutions for Teeth Grinding

By Really Smile on August 10, 2022

Knowing whether you have a sleeping disorder or not can be difficult since most of us really don’t know what we do when we sleep.

But there are signs and symptoms that you may be grinding your teeth at night.

One of the most common sleeping disorders is bruxism, which is excessive grinding of the teeth or clenching of the jaw.

While people in Carmel, IN, who have have bruxism may not be able to identify it themselves, at Really Smile, Dr. Smith can easily identify it and offer solution options.

The Problem with Bruxism

What’s the big deal with grinding teeth at night? There are several factors to think about, as your oral health impacts your overall health. But here are a two of the biggest issues caused by bruxism:

It wears down the enamel on your teeth. Since it’s almost impossible to grow back enamel, this can have ramifications that affect you for the rest of your life, such as cracking a tooth or a crown.
It can lead to temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) and, eventually, the possibility of your face collapsing due to poor bone structure and facial support deterioration over time.

While clenching your teeth doesn’t do as much damage as grinding, both can negatively affect you can cause pain.

Bruxism Signs & Symptoms

About 10-15 percent of people in Carmel, Indiana, and the surrounding areas experience sleep bruxism. But, again, it’s a difficult disorder to diagnose since many people may not be aware that they have it. While a visit to a dental practice like Really Smile is the best option for determining whether you grind your teeth, there are signs and symptoms of bruxism that anyone can identify. Here are some of them:

Tenderness while eating, speaking or moving your jaw.
Flattened teeth or a worn-down biting surface.
Frequent headaches or pain in the temples, especially during the morning.
Pain while drinking a cold liquid or eating hot food.
A grinding or a tapping noise at night and a popping jaw noise during the day.

Once you know that you have bruxism, you can decide how you want to address it.

Solutions for Bruxism in Carmel, IN

If you catch bruxism early in its development, you can actually prevent most of the damage it causes. The best solution for grinding teeth is a nightguard. It’s important to get a custom nightguard from the dentist like Dr. Smith so it matches your teeth perfectly and doesn’t have any negative side effects.

While some insurance companies cover part of the cost of nightguards, they are usually several hundred dollars. That’s a small investment considering an absence of a nightguard can lead to thousands of dollars in repair down the road.

If you live in the Carmel, IN, area and think you may grind your teeth at night and would like to know more about solutions, schedule a consultation with Dr. Smith at Really Smile today!

How Headaches and Dental Stress Are Related

By Really Smile on May 23, 2022

It’s a pretty well-known fact that headaches are one of the most common pain-causing issues for residents of Carmel, IN, and beyond.

But did you know that a dentist may be the best person to address your headaches? Specifically, Dr. Smith has a life-changing vision for dentistry that includes addressing headaches.

If your bite isn’t perfect, it can cause dental stress, which leads to pain. That’s why dentists have been researching and perfecting headache-reducing solutions for years and they’re now available for anyone who needs them.

What Causes Headaches?

According to the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain (AACP), “one in eight Americans suffer from recurring headaches that are so severe they cannot carry out normal living.” Furthermore, the AACP points out that “an estimated 80% of all headaches occur from muscle tension.”

Specifically, the cause for headaches deals with muscle tension in the mouth. If your teeth don’t come together in a normal way via your bite, it can cause the muscles in your mouth to compensate. This extra tension can lead to headaches on the sides of your head (or it can feel like the headaches are “wrapping around it”). At the end of the day, headaches aren’t the only negative effect of dental stress.

Dental Stress Side Effects

An improper or misaligned bite does more than just cause headaches. It can lead to other problems like tiredness, pain, muscle imbalance and even possibly lead to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. Here are some other specific negative effects of dental stress, according to the AACP:

Clicking or popping jaw joints
Head and/or scalp painful to the touch
Pain behind the eyes
Teeth grinding
Sore jaw muscles or “tired” muscles upon awakening

Fortunately, there are a variety of solutions for fixing headaches caused by dental stress.

Dental Solutions for Headaches

Visiting Really Smile is the first step for people in Carmel, IN, who think their headaches may be caused by dental stress. Dr. Smith will evaluate your bite, the muscles in your mouth and jaw joints for any signs of muscle tension or dental stress. If needed, he will advise you on dental treatment needed to correct your bite so you don’t have any tension. The ultimate goal? To improve your quality of life!

Dr. Smith may also advise other stress-relieving techniques like physical therapy, counseling or relaxation training to ensure you eliminate tension and headaches. If you’d like to learn more about solutions for headaches and dental stress in Carmel, IN, contact us to schedule a consultation today.