The Silent Dental Destroyer: Teeth Grinding, Clenching (Bruxism)
- Lorra Paoletti
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Many people find out they grind or clench their teeth during a routine dental visit after their dentist assesses their teeth and gums. This is actually a common problem, about 30% of people clench/grind their teeth. However, to many, this news comes as a surprise. Teeth grinding and or clenching, occurs mostly at night when one is asleep. When asleep, the intensity of the clenching and grinding could equal up to a force of 250 pounds of pressure. Wow! No wonder some people complain of a sore jaw after awakening. Additionally, others will tell their dentist they feel they clench their teeth during the daytime hours too.
Some common symptoms shared are jaw pain, neck pain, teeth pain, and chronic headaches. Other symptoms could include ear pain and ringing, and difficulty with keeping one's mouth open due to pain and tightness in your jaw. If not treated, people could end up with chipped, broken or loose teeth. Unfortunately, future dental work may be needed such as crowns, partials or implants due to the constant grinding and clenching.
Bruxism is divided into two categories, when someone is awake, and when someone is asleep. While awake, one may notice they tend to clench their jaw or grind their teeth when they are stressed or anxious. Knowing this will help them find other ways to decrease stress, and this can help them to learn to relax their jaw. However, daytime bruxism is not as damaging to one's teeth as nighttime bruxism. Damage to one's teeth could happen rapidly or over many years due to constant clenching and grinding.
Causes may be due to stress, anxiety and even acquiring a coping habit that has developed over several years. Other risks of developing bruxism could include:
Being a heavy alcohol drinker
Being a heavy smoker
Consuming more than 6 cups of caffeinated products daily
Having a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea
Taking certain medications like SSRIs for anxiety or depression.
Having family members that have been diagnosed with bruxism
Having a diagnosis of GERD, Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia, seizures or ADHD are additional health risks for bruxism
Treatments
Typically, a first step for many who suffer from bruxism is getting fitted for a nighttime bite guard to help to protect one's teeth. Some may even choose to wear the guard during the daytime to help relieve their pain and lower the risk of further damaging their teeth. There are several types of bite guards but discussing different options with a dentist is the best place to start. The dentist can help one decide the best type of bite guard to decrease the impacts of bruxism.
Next, incorporating stress relief techniques into one's daily life is helpful like practicing yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and other exercises like Pilates or Tai Chi. Becoming aware of when one tends to clench, grind their teeth can also help to decrease tooth damage. If one smokes, consider stopping or cutting back, also decrease the daily use of alcohol and caffeine consumption. If one has been diagnosed with sleep apnea, make sure to follow up with a sleep specialist for a personalized treatment plan. Some dentists now offer Botox injections for pain relief and others may encourage taking a muscle relaxer daily or nightly to help someone to get pain relief.
Other options include:
Stay away from eating hard foods, limit gum chewing
Get facial, head, neck massages
Practice some facial relaxation techniques at home (lips closed, teeth not touching, with tongue pressing top of mouth)
Another technique to help with jaw pain/soreness (massage jaw joints, open and close mouth while pressing on joints for relief)
Get counseling
Use NSAIDs under guidance of your dentist
Include the use of better sleep practices including having a firmer pillow
Always wear your bite guard at night
Remember having a dentist you feel comfortable with and can trust is essential for your dental care. If you are feeling doubtful about your current dentist, you can always get a second opinion. Focus on getting the best care for your teeth, as this will help one maintain healthy gums and teeth for a lifetime.
Cleveland Clinic. Bruxism (Teeth Grinding): Symptoms, Causes & Treatment. https://my.clevelandclinic.org.
https://www.health.mil. Teeth Grinding: You Won's Believe How Harmful it Really is
https://www.mayoclinic.org. Teeth grinding (bruxism). Symptoms and Causes.
Sleep Foundation. How to Stop Grinding Teeth: Effective Prevention Strategies.
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