A painful mouth is enough to ruin every other part of your life, but did you know that essential oils can provide relief? While they might be an unexpected solution, using essential oils for teeth grinding is an all-natural way to cure your pain and reclaim your mouth for good. Don’t believe it? Keep reading to learn which essential oils are best to try for total mouth relief, and you might soon be stopping your grinding with oils, too.
What Causes Teeth Grinding?
It’s all too common for people to grind and clench their teeth throughout their lives, especially at night when they sleep. Medically called bruxism, grinding teeth is usually harmless, but too much grinding on a regular basis can lead to pain, worn down teeth and even chips and cracks in teeth enamel.
In some cases, teeth grinding is caused by stress and anxiety, especially when sleeping. Other times, it can be triggered by an abnormal bite or misaligned teeth. It’s possible that you might not even be aware that you grind your teeth, but waking up with a sore jaw or having a dull headache that lingers for hours can be classic signs of chronic teeth grinding.
Long-term Negative Effects of Teeth Grinding
If you grind your teeth regularly, it can quickly lead to some nasty health problems. Too much pressure on fragile teeth can lead to fractures, loose teeth and even loss of teeth. Too much grinding can even wear teeth down to stumps to the point where crowns or dentures are needed to help you chew. Excessive grinding can also lead to worn teeth enamel, which can cause your teeth to become stained and susceptible to cavities. It’s also common for excessive teeth grinding to result in jaw or neck pain and chronic ear aches, even when nothing is wrong with your ears.
12 Best Essential Oils for Teeth Grinding
If you’re looking for a way to naturally stop your teeth grinding from getting out of control, essential oils can help. Using essential oils for teeth grinding can calm down your nervous system, reduce anxiety and stop the obsessive-compulsive kinds of behavior that lead to teeth grinding in the first place.
Below is a list of some of the best essential oils for teeth grinding to help you out, so try them out and find relief fast.
1. Peppermint Oil ?
Not only will peppermint oil refresh your mind and wake you up, it’s also a great essential oil for teeth grinding. A small dose of peppermint before you go to bed will help prevent anxiety, which can stop you from grinding your teeth in your sleep. In the same way, ingesting peppermint can calm your stomach and relieve pain and headaches caused from previous grinding.
2. Frankincense Oil ?
Made from tree resin, frankincense oil has long been valued for its medicinal potential. As a natural inflammation reducer, frankincense works to calm you down and clear up coughs and colds so that you can enjoy a grounded mood without anxiety.
3. Lavender Oil ?
Grinding your teeth can lead to clenched jaw muscles that create a lot of pain, but smelling lavender oil can calm your muscles and help you relax so that the pain goes away. To use this essential oil for teeth grinding, just add a few drops of lavender to a carrier oil like olive oil and massage your jaw and neck until you few relaxed.
4. Chamomile Oil ?
Chamomile tea is a proven way to fall asleep, and chamomile essential oil can have the same peaceful, calming effects. Sniffing chamomile at night can decrease your anxiety and improve digestion, and it can also result in less teeth grinding throughout the night.
5. Valerian Oil ?
This perennial flower grows throughout the world and is highly valued for its gorgeous scent when added to perfume. Like chamomile, valerian oil has impressive benefits for giving you sound sleep every night. This potent smelling oil can also reduce nervous disorders and eliminate anxiety, making it a great essential oil for teeth grinding.
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6. Rosemary Oil ?
Considered sacred by the ancient Greeks and Romans, rosemary is as delicious smelling as an essential oil as the herb is tasty on your mashed potatoes. Considered to be one of the most powerful essential oils on the planet, rosemary can help you boost nerve growth and improve your brain function. It also relieves muscle aches and pains, making it perfect for relieving the sore jaw caused by grinding your teeth.
7. Turmeric Oil ?
Considered to be a strong relaxer, turmeric can help you stave off anxiety and depression so that you stay in a better mood all day. Using a little turmeric oil when you feel stressed or upset can stop you from unconsciously grinding your teeth.
8. Ylang Ylang Oil ?
It’s all too natural for your heart rate to increase and blood pressure to rise when you’re anxious, but smelling some ylang ylang can calm you back down so that you don’t unconsciously grind your teeth. In the same way, ylang ylang can ease indigestion and help you sleep more soundly without restlessly tossing and turning.
9. Rose Oil ?
As a natural antidepressant, rose essential oil is a great option for providing you with a sense of calm and relaxation, which can make your mood do a 180 so that you stop grinding your teeth.
10. Bergamont Oil ?
If you can’t start the day without your Earl Grey tea, you’ll be sure to love the scent of bergamot essential oil. This oil comes from a potent citrus fruit that is a popular scent in a wide variety of soaps and perfumes. Best of all, it can ease tension in your muscles and stop you from clenching your teeth, making it a great essential oil for teeth grinding.
11. Clary Sage Oil ?
Filled with health benefits like antibacterial and skin softening properties, clary sage oil can make your days feel easier and a little less stressful. Even better, this oil can calm nerves, relax your muscles and ease anxiety so that you don’t hold tension in your jaw and unconsciously grind your teeth at the same time.
12. Geranium Oil ?
Geranium flowers might be beautiful, but geranium oil might be even more useful to keep around the house. The naturally calming scent of this flower brings out positive emotions while acting as a natural sedative, making it easier for you to fall into a deep, restful sleep without any teeth grinding.
How to Use Essential Oils for Teeth Grinding
In truth, there are as many ways to use essential oils for teeth grinding as there are oils to choose from. Whether you prefer breathing in the vapors from a room diffuser or prefer to apply the oil direct to your skin, the use of essential oils is a natural way to cut down on teeth grinding and relieve your pain.
To use a room diffuser, simply add five to ten drops of oil and gently inhale the mist it creates.
If you prefer to directly apply the oil, you can add a few drops near your nose or jaw and carefully breath it in before going to bed. Another option is to add a few drops of oil to a carrier oil and massage it into your back, neck and shoulders so that the scent lingers throughout the night and keeps you sleeping and relaxed.
You can also add a few drops of essential oil to your evening bath and allow the natural heat and steam make it simple for you to absorb the scent. To add an extra infusion of oil to your sheets and pillows, simply mix about 10 drops into a spray bottle and mist your blankets before getting into bed.