Bruxism or teeth grinding is a medical condition in which you clench, grind, or strike your teeth, whether it is during sleep or when you are awake. You do these actions in an unconscious way so you are not able to control it. If you do this movement in your sleep, professionals call it sleep bruxism and you are more likely to suffer from other sleep disorders like snoring or sleep apnea. However, if the level of your bruxism is mild you will most likely not need any treatment but in some other people, this condition can be more frequent and severe which can lead to jaw disorders, headaches, damaged teeth, and other dental problems. Because sometimes it can be difficult to notice complications, in this blog post we have explained the information needed to know the signs and symptoms of this condition and seek regular dental care before the condition develops further and causes more problems to your oral health.
Teeth grinding and bruxism are the same thing and as we mentioned before this is a condition that is characterized by teeth grinding or clenching in an unconscious way. It usually happens during sleep, so it means you will not be able to control it and it can become a serious issue. The pressure put on the teeth will lead to significant damage to the teeth, mouth, and jaw. The medical word for this is sleep bruxism, or nocturnal teeth grinding, according to professionals in this field. This kind of movement issue may be an indication of more serious diseases including sleep apnea, which is characterized by breathing pauses or snoring.
Teeth grinding or bruxism comes with several symptoms, so if you notice any of them listed above you should book a consultation with a dentist. The first indicator is when you notice that your teeth are starting to flatten, chip, or are becoming loose. This will weaken the enamel of your teeth, which will lead to exposure to deeper layers of it. If this layer becomes worn out your teeth will become more sensitive, which will cause discomfort or pain while eating or drinking.
You should be checked out if you clench your teeth at night and the noise is so loud that other people could find it upsetting. It will put pressure on your teeth and result in facial and neck pain and soreness, which will wear you out. Although the two types of pain are not the same, they can sometimes be comparable. Additional typical signs of teeth grinding include dull headaches that begin in the temples, inside cheek damage from chewing and disturbed sleep.
Furthermore, we will explain some risk factors that can lead to bruxism.
While in most cases teeth grinding or bruxism will not cause any serious complications to your overall health, sometimes it can lead to damage to your teeth, or if you have restorations like veneers and crowns. It will cause pain in our jaw which will lead to severe headaches. Teeth grinding will also affect the temporomandibular joints (TMJs), which are situated directly in front of your ears and may make clicking sounds when you open and close your mouth.
The diagnosis of bruxism will be done during your regular dental exams, by a specialized dentist. If you notice any symptoms talk with them and discuss your worries. This will help them decide the right treatment for you.
In order to ascertain if you require treatment and whether the condition is progressing, your dentist will monitor any changes in your teeth and mouth throughout the course of the following appointments if you exhibit any symptoms.
If the dentist is certain that you have bruxism he will first ask you if you have noticed any symptoms or signs of it. He will also need to know your general dental health history and your sleeping habits. Your dentist will check for signs like tenderness in your jaw muscles caused by pressure on your teeth and for signs of any dental abnormalities like broken or missing teeth. If he suspects any other cause, he may also require X-rays to see the condition of the bones and their roots. During the dental examination, the specialist will also be able to identify ailments such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) abnormalities, further dental issues, or medical illnesses that might cause comparable jaw or ear discomfort.
If the dentist determines that your teeth grinding is a result of serious sleep problems, he will advise you to see an expert in this area so that the issue may be properly addressed. This allows the sleep expert to do tests such as sleep studies to look for instances of teeth grinding and diagnose sleep apnea or other sleep problems. You can also be directed to a certified therapist or psychologist if your teeth grinding appears to be connected to anxiety or other psychological problems related to this condition.
Treatment for teeth grinding will not always be necessary, especially if the patient is a child because in most cases they will outgrow it with age. In adults, bruxism is usually not that severe so specialists will not offer therapy. However, in some cases, therapies and medications will be needed if the problem is severe and is causing you pain, and discomfort and to prevent further damage to your teeth and jaw. If you suspect anything, you should contact your doctor and find out which is the best remedy and treatment available for you.
If a family member of yours or you suffer from bruxism, your dentist may recommend treatments to save or straighten your teeth. While these techniques could prevent further damage that bruxism can cause, they might not always stop the damage done to your teeth:
Depending on the cause of the teeth grinding, some other approaches might help you deal with this issue:
Medications are not always recommended for bruxism because there is not enough proof that they are effective. However, some treatments that can help with the symptoms can be:
Botox injections:
One possible treatment for related diseases is medication. Your doctor may adjust your prescription or recommend a new one if bruxism develops as a side effect of the one you are already taking. Sometimes teeth grinding happens because of problems relating to sleep and in this case you should think about resolving sleep-related issues like obstructive sleep apnea which might potentially alleviate bruxism. Some other medical issues can sometimes be the cause of this problem and treating medical issues, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), may help, if it is determined to be the cause.
Some lifestyle changes may help you prevent and treat bruxism in the best way possible and some of them are:
If you notice any of the symptoms that we mentioned before, start by booking a consultation with a dentist or a primary care physician. You may also consider scheduling an appointment with a sleep expert, to find the right diagnosis.
As you get ready for your visit, you should consider making a list of:
Especially at night, we would catch ourselves clenching and grinding our teeth. We occasionally clench our teeth together during the day when we need to concentrate, as when we’re watching a very intense TV show, working in front of a computer, or even on first-time events like driving a car.
There is evidence that the primary psychological element contributing to tooth grinding is stress. We typically notice that we grind more frequently during stressful times, such as when we are dealing with a lot of work at work, looking for a new job, family issues, or examinations for students. Exhaustion, anxiety, or attempting to focus are some other potential causes.
Tooth wear is the primary effect of clenching and grinding. Our teeth will deteriorate if we grind and clench them for extended periods of time. In the end, we’ll have shorter teeth, a much-increased chance of fillings breaking loose from our mouths, and chips and fractures in our natural teeth.
Visiting your dentist’s office is the most safe course of action here. By examining the wear patterns on your teeth, your dentist should be able to determine whether you grind or clench. Other signs of clenching and grinding include general tooth discomfort, without regard to decay or other issues, facial muscles that are painful and tense, temporal headaches, and neck pain. These are fairly noticeable symptoms that mostly show up in the mornings and gradually go away over the day.
Good stress management is the most efficient way to deal with grinding and clenching. Look for entertaining things to do to decompress. Regarding dental care, we may assist by creating a transparent plastic acrylic night guard that goes over all of your upper teeth. If you grind at night, you should wear this before you go to bed so that the night guard gets ground up instead of your teeth. Regular jaw exercises are another thing you can do to help with the other symptoms listed above.
