If you have noticed your teeth wearing down, hurting, or becoming sensitive to hot and cold, you may have a problem with bruxism—the fancy term for teeth grinding. This habit can also cause headaches, jaw and neck pain, TMJ issues, and inflammation of the gums.
Oftentimes, the main contributor to teeth grinding is stress, such as stress from a job or a family dispute. But stress can also include physical stress within the body, such as what happens during a vitamin deficiency. Having a shortage of vital nutrients in your system causes all kinds of issues for your body, and you might that you are subconsciously expressing the underlying physical stress by grinding your teeth at night.
In particular, there are certain vitamin deficiencies that can lead to teeth grinding more than others. These are deficiencies in vitamin B5, calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin C.
Signs of deficiencies can vary.
If your teeth grinding is caused by a deficiency, there will often be other symptoms that you might notice.
Vitamin B5 deficiency is rare because B5 is widely available in many foods, including vegetables, grains, fish, and meat. If it does occur, it is usually in conjunction with other vitamin deficiencies due to a very poor diet. Symptoms can include irritability, fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, and headaches. Sometimes, B5 is recommended as a supplement, and it appears in some skin creams and shampoos, but, you will usually get a sufficient amount by eating a healthy diet.
Calcium deficiency can occur from health issues or through the use of medications, such as diuretics. It can also occur more easily in those who do not consume dairy or other animal products, as well as postmenopausal women. Some cases present no symptoms early on but lead to bone and tooth brittleness over time. Other times, you may experience muscle cramps or muscle pain and tingling. Very low calcium can also lead to fatigue or severe PMS.
Additionally, calcium works in conjunction with vitamin D . So, a vitamin D deficiency can lead to many of the same issues that a calcium deficiency can, including osteoporosis. Humans’ main source of vitamin D comes through sun exposure. So, limited time in the sun as well as the use of sunscreen make vitamin D deficiency fairly common in modern times.
Magnesium deficiency can occur due to certain drugs, like proton pump inhibitors or chemotherapy drugs. It can also appear after thyroid surgery or gastric bypass surgery. And some chronic conditions, including celiac disease and diabetes, are associated with low magnesium levels. Symptoms include muscle twitches and cramps, asthma, nausea, osteoporosis, weakness or fatigue, high blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, and mental health issues like anxiety.
Potassium deficiency can occur because of frequent heavy sweating due to manual labor or hot weather, antibiotic use, low magnesium levels, frequent diarrhea, and chronic kidney disease. Symptoms include constipation, abnormal heartbeat, tingling or numbness, increased urination, confusion, and muscle cramps.
Known as scurvy, vitamin C deficiency used to be an infamous issue for those who worked at sea or had little access to fresh fruits and vegetables. It is very rare now but can be an issue for those with a very poor diet, those who are on dialysis, and people with severe mental illness. Red bumpy skin, red or curly hair follicles, spoon-shaped fingernails, painful joints, bleeding gums, tooth loss, and poor immunity are some of the signs of a vitamin C deficiency.
Always visit your doctor.
If you suspect you have a deficiency, it is important to visit a healthcare professional for a blood test. Do not self-diagnose and begin taking supplements. If you are wrong, you will not be treating the underlying issue, and you can take too much of certain vitamins and minerals, which will lead to other issues.
Oftentimes, deficiencies can be treated through a change in diet or medication but sometimes supplements are required. You do not, however, want to take supplements that your body does not need. So, it is always crucial that you get a comprehensive understanding of what may be occurring in your body if you are grinding your teeth and you suspect a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
Protect your teeth.
While you are assessing and treating any underlying cause or trigger, you should also be protecting your teeth by wearing a night guard that will keep them from scraping against each other when you grind them. It will also add a degree of cushioning to protect your teeth and gums from the effects of clenching.
Visit TeethNightGuard to find out how you can order an affordable custom night guard. You will be able to take your own mold at home and receive your night guard in the mail from our U.S.-based facility.
You can also learn more about the symptoms and causes of teeth grinding by visiting the TeethNightGuard blog.
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