Teeth grinding(Bruxism) is the habit of grinding teeth. Teeth grinding usually occurs during sleep, but grinding or pounding is also common during the day. Teeth grinding can cause corrosion of the gums and the bones that support them in the mouth. Most people are not conscious when Bruxism.
Teeth grinding can cause corrosion of the gums and the bones that support them in the mouth. Bruxism occurs completely involuntarily during the day or at bedtime.
But in some cases, people do it in the wake of stress or excitement.
Bruxism is not specific to any age but can occur at any age, in both children and adults. But among children, it usually goes away by the age of 10. In adults, this complication is more common in the age group of 20 to 40 years, and its incidence decreases with age. Bruxism most often appears at the age of 3 years and during the growth of baby teeth.
What Causes Grinding Teeth?
Teeth grinding occurs for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the most important reasons for teeth grinding :
Having respiratory problems may cause teeth grinding in sleep.
Bruxism can be the result of stress, anger, anxiety, or excitement.
Almost every drug has side effects. Taking certain medications, such as those prescribed for depression, can cause teeth grinding.
Bruxism can be a sign of mental illness.
Bruxism can be a complication of some diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease.
Bruxism may be the result of the body’s reaction when the teeth and jaws are not aligned properly.
Teeth grinding can be caused by crooked teeth, missing teeth, or the presence of extra teeth. But it is usually caused by psychological factors. For example, having severe stress. Many people have a lot of stress in situations such as marriage, childbirth, work stress and the like, and therefore subconsciously clench their teeth.
In some cases, the patient does not achieve the basic treatment of severe bruxism using night guards and other dental methods. This group of people should use a set of treatments for bruxism. For example, consulting a psychologist and changing diet and lifestyle.
What the Symptoms of Teeth Grinding
Researchers found that many of the patients are grinding their teeth, it is stress-related; some with Symptom, some without Symptom.
Some of the symptoms are:
- Dull morning headaches
- Clicking from the joints
- Difficulties opening and closing your mouth
- Neck and shoulder issues and damaged or worn teeth
- Earache
- Severe pain in the jaw and face
- The decay of filled teeth
- Broken or damaged healthy teeth
- Loosening of teeth
- Swelling and bleeding gums
- The sensitivity of teeth to heat and cold
- Lots of teeth grinding during the night that people around you notice
How to Stop Teeth Grinding
Is there a way to stop grinding or at least lessen the grinding? We reached out to dr. Chris Strandburg for some tips to help stop the grind
“you can have bad consequences from grinding your teeth. You can break your teeth, you can get morning headaches, you can cause permanent jaw-joint pain but I have some tips for you that I think will really help.
- Botox
Believe it or not, putting botox in your jaw muscles can help you. It shrinks the size of your jaw muscles so they don’t develop as much pressure and less pressure grinding means less chance you’re going to break a tooth. - Medications
Anti-anxiety medications cause tooth grinding in a lot of people. For all good alternatives, check with your doctor. You might be able to find a medication that helps you with your anxiety and won’t make you grind your teeth. - Reduce stress
Having a relaxation period an hour before bed where you wind down is very helpful. You also got to avoid extra caffeine and alcohol because both of hose can cause you to grind your teeth throughout the night.
So if you relax a little bit, you’ll sleep well without grinding your teeth.
What Vitamin Deficiency Causes Teeth Grinding?
Deficiencies of vitamins such as calcium and magnesium can lead to teeth grinding. Therefore, the use of a suitable multivitamin is recommended as a complementary treatment for teeth grinding. It is also important to have a high-calcium diet and consume milk and dairy products.
What Is the Treatment for Teeth Grinding?
Treatment of teeth grinding depends on the cause. There is no specific treatment for tooth grinding, but there are ways to eliminate the symptoms, and the underlying cause can be treated. Daily tooth grinding can be improved by increasing awareness, physiotherapy or exercise, but night tooth grinding requires other strategies because it is out of one’s control. If the main problem is stress or sleep apnea, treatment for these disorders may be helpful. Adequate sleep at night or regular exercise can help.
Dental night guards or mouth guards, which are prescribed by a dentist, can be placed on the tooth to prevent it from grinding.
A dental night guard can be used at night to protect teeth, and short-term use of muscle relaxants is a possible option. Avoiding foods and beverages that have high concentrations of caffeine or alcohol may be helpful, as they can reduce wear and tear. Chewing gum may exacerbate bruxism because it can transmit wear and tear to muscle memory. Another method is to relax the jaw muscles with warm tissue at least once a day to reduce their tension.
