Dental Bruxism (Teeth Grinding) – Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Types of dental bruxism

What is Bruxism?

When a person grinds or clenches his teeth without chewing, which frequently happens when you’re sleeping, these are the symptoms of bruxism. People often engage in teeth grinding without being aware of it.

Bruxism involves:

  • Teeth Grinding: Bruxism, often known as grinding, involves moving the jaw while the teeth are kept together. This causes the teeth to significantly wear down and flatten, which is often noticeable to the dentist and the patient.
  • Clenching: Just pressing the teeth together and tensing the jaw muscles is clenching. Clenching can cause significant muscle fatigue, pain, and harm to the jaw joint even though it often causes less evident wear to the teeth.
  • Tapping: Striking your teeth against each other in upward and downward motion without recognizing is known as tapping. Teeth tapping can lead to several health problems; hence, getting it cured as soon as possible is crucial.

During the day and night, people may clench or grind their teeth. The Bruxism Association of the United Kingdom estimates that 8–10% of people suffer from Bruxism.

In the subsequent paragraphs, we’ll examine Bruxism’s symptoms, causes, and remedies. 

What triggers Bruxism (Teeth Grinding)? Know the Real Causes:

Too much stress and distinctive personality types are frequent factors oral health professionals cite as contributing to Bruxism. Those who experience nerve tension, such as rage, pain, or irritation, may develop Bruxism. Also, it affects those who have an aggressive, rushed, or excessively competitive nature. 

Some evidence suggests that an imbalance in brain neurotransmitters brings on Bruxism in specific individuals. Moreover, several drugs, including the antidepressants paroxetine and fluoxetine, might result in Bruxism.

How Can You Tell If You Have Bruxism (Symptoms)?

Physical symptoms include headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain and muscle pain, facial myalgia, earaches, shoulder tightness and stiffness, limited mouth opening, and disturbed sleep.

Dental symptoms include abnormal tooth wear, tooth fractures, gum inflammation and recession, excessive tooth mobility, and early tooth loss.

The most often listed type of discomfort tends to be headaches, which are thought to be three times more common in bruxers than in non-bruxers. Long-term bruxers tend to be more prone than non-bruxers to experience craniofacial discomfort.

It should be emphasized that these symptoms might not always point to a clear cause-and-effect connection. For instance, prolonged TMJ discomfort may not be the cause of depression but rather one of its effects.

How To Treat Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)?

Your healthcare practitioner will determine the optimal course of action depending on the following:

  • Your Age
  • Your medical background and regular health status
  • How your body reacts to a particular medication, operation, or therapy
  • Your preference or opinion

The majority of the time, Bruxism can be effectively treated. Treating teeth grinding may involve:

Behavioral Adjustments: 

You could be instructed to rest your lips, tongue, and teeth correctly. With your teeth apart and your lips closed, you may also learn to relax to ease jaw ache.

Mouth Guard: 

A plastic mouth guard fitting your mouth is designed for you to wear at night to lessen the impact of biting. If you grind your teeth when awake, you can wear them daily. This mouthguard may assist in modifying your habit of grinding and preventing further tooth injury.

Biofeedback: 

An electronic device that detects the amount of jaw and mouth muscle activity is used in biofeedback. It then alerts you when your muscles are working too hard so you can take specific steps to change them. Biofeedback is very effective for Bruxism throughout the day. More study and research are required to create a treatment plan for those who clench at night.

Botox: 

Botulinum toxin injections, often known as Botox, can paralyze the muscles that cause sleep bruxism in severe Bruxism to cease teeth grinding. Botox may be costly, and repeated injections are required to preserve the results for a long time.

Medication: 

Ibuprofen is an example of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine (NSAID) that may treat any discomfort or swelling brought on by Bruxism.

In rare circumstances, a physician may also advise the brief use of a drug to relax the muscles and break the vicious cycle of teeth grinding. This method allows the jaw muscles to relax, which can lessen discomfort. Patients may want to talk to their doctor about switching to a different medicine if they suspect one is contributing to their Bruxism.

Conclusion

Dental Bruxism or Teeth Grinding is treatable under the guidance of an experienced Dentist. The dentist will guide and inform you about the scope of improvement that can be expected with the procedure as it differs for individuals.

If you are looking for a reliable Dentist in Mohali, India then you can contact Aesthetic Dental – Multispecialty Dental clinic for teeth grinding issues.

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