Ask the Dentist: Can bruxism be cured?

Bruxism refers to excessive teeth grinding or jaw clenching, and can take place while one is awake or sleeping. The evidence for complete treatment of bruxism is relatively low, hence most of the treatment methods available are aimed at decreasing the level of bruxism and reducing the damage done to one’s teeth and jaw joints.

Occlusal splints

Occlusal splints such as mouthguards are the most common and effective treatment involved in preventing damage to your teeth. Mouthguard helps to absorb the force during grinding so that your teeth’s enamel does not get worn down. It is commonly worn at night, nonetheless, it can also be worn in the day if one grinds while awake. 

Behaviour modifications

You may be recommended to go on a soft diet and cut food into smaller pieces so as to reduce the amount of chewing, allowing your jaw muscles to rest. You may also be taught to constantly check that you breathe through your nose, close your lips while keeping your teeth apart. This will help relax the muscles involved in teeth grinding. If stress is the cause of bruxism, relaxation exercises like diaphragmatic breathing can be done.

Medications

Muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory and/or anti-anxiety medications may be prescribed for a short period of time to ensure that you can rest better at night.

You are advised to share your concerns with your dental specialist / dentist so that he/she can share the treatment options suitable for you. 

Steam Teaching at CIS: Learn Wh It Is So Great For Kids

STEAM teaching is the new buzzword in education. Many schools are choosing to adopt this interdisciplinary teaching approach to help their students develop important skills like problem solving and critical thinking to be successful in the 21st century workforce.

STEAM teaching varies from school to school. At CIS, STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Arts and Mathematics. It plays an integrated across the school from pre-kindergarten to secondary school. 

Solving real problems

We engage students in hands-on, minds-on STEAM activities where they are encouraged to make connections between the five STEAM disciplines and solve real-life, authentic problems. This not only helps our students to think critically and solve problems from multiple perspectives, it also keeps them motivated and excited to learn more.

Stimulating makerspaces

From Grade 1 onwards, our students are exposed to STEAM experiences in our stimulating makerspace rooms. These are part lab, part shop, part conference room, designed to foster a culture of teamwork, collaboration and design thinking. Students build and work on projects together using equipment that is both traditional (such as woodworking machinery and sewing machines) and cutting edge (such as makerbot 3D printers, GCC laser engravers and cutting machines).

STEAM in action

Lots of exciting and innovative projects are constantly happening across CIS. At the moment, grade 1 students are learning about forces and motion by designing and building their own movable toy, while grade 6 students are creating models using 3D computer software to study the math and science behind natural phenomena on earth. 

Want to learn more?

Sign up for CIS’ free virtual STEAM workshops to enjoy some fun hands-on STEAM activities for the whole family. There are four activities to choose from: create a drawbot, build a molecule mode, code a robot or design a cardboard sculpture. Which STEAM activity will you choose?