Teeth Grinding

You may not be familiar with the term “bruxism”, but you’re undoubtedly familiar with the behavior. Bruxism is the grinding, gnashing, or clenching of teeth. Many of us do it without even realizing; in fact, a lot of people do it in their sleep, which is called sleep bruxism.
Regardless of whether you know the name, it’s important to understand the consequences of bruxism and how it can impact your dental health. Bruxers are found everywhere, and while there’s no real cure, there are ways of preventing teeth grinding.

What is Bruxism?
Bruxism is a broad term used to encompass a number of behaviors, including gnashing, grinding, clenching, or gritting of teeth.

Teeth grinding causes may include anything from high stress to abnormal bite to crooked teeth. If bruxism doesn’t sound serious, consider this: the masseter, the cheek muscle that helps us chew, is one of the strongest muscles in the entire body. Dental researchers say it can exert up to 600 pounds of force per square inch on the molars in the rear of our mouths. It’s a strong muscle and can have a big impact on jaw and mouth health.

Bruxism is occasionally a complication of another condition. A handful of medications, such as certain anti-anxiety pills, for instance, have side effects that include jaw clenching or teeth gnashing.

Is Teeth Grinding Harmful?
There’s no doubt that there can be harmful effects of teeth grinding. Here’s a look at the potential consequences:

Teeth Grinding Effects
Teeth grinding effects can range from mild annoyances to serious problems that require a dental professional’s attention. The big concern among dentists is bruxism’s cumulative effect: It’s not one day of clenching or gnashing that’s the problem, it’s the years of this behavior that wear down your teeth, sparking the need for serious dental treatment. Side effects include:

• Loosening teeth from the gums
• Losing teeth
• Fracturing teeth
• Wearing away teeth and enamel
• Receding gums
• Aching jaws
• Recurring headaches
• Tooth pain
• Developing jaw joint disorders

Teeth grinding occurs frequently during sleep, and there are a number of sleep conditions tied to this behavior, including sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a chronic disorder in which sleep is disrupted by pauses in breathing or shallow breaths. The pauses can last more than a minute, and they’re usually followed by a choking sound. The condition is under-diagnosed, because many people don’t realize they have the problem.

Teeth and Jaw Clenching
Teeth clenching and jaw clenching occur when you hold your mouth tightly in the same position, and it can have an ill effect on the jaw muscles. They become sore and tired from overuse, and disorders can arise from long-term clenching. Teeth and jaw clenchers often develop chronic headaches because of the tension in the jaw.

Clenching is most often associated with stress, but it can also be exacerbated by habitual chewing on other things, including gum, pencils, or pens. Bruxers are encouraged to avoid chewing gum or becoming otherwise orally fixated on an object that will worsen their symptoms.

TMJ
TMJ stands for the temporomandibular joint, which connects your skull and your jawbone. It’s the part of the mouth bruxism sufferers clench, and it can lead to TMJ disorders. Not all TMJ disorders are caused by bruxism; arthritis and injuries to the jaw may also lead to pain and chronic symptoms.

While it’s very common for kids with ADHD to be bruxers, they aren’t the only ones. Kids most commonly gnash, clench, or grind their teeth at night, which can be linked to any number of things, including:

• Mouth breathing at night
• Sleep apnea
• Dental occlusions
• Stress
• Liking the feeling of gnashing the teeth, which turns it into a habit
• Psychological problems

Teeth Grinding Symptoms
There are many teeth grinding symptoms that may include:

• Flat, nubbed, or dull teeth
• Earaches
• Tooth pain
• Chronic pain in the mouth or ear area
• Worn-out tooth enamel
• Psychological problems
• Damage to insides of cheeks
• Tongue indentations
• Sensitive teeth
• Jaw pain
• Wear spots on teeth

Let’s take an in-depth look at three of these symptoms.

Jaw Pain
Jaw pain results from the clenching and grinding of the teeth, which puts excessive pressure on the joints in your jaw. Jaw pain may be exacerbated by chewing gum or eating tough foods like steak. In extreme cases, a patient may resort to a splint for the jaw, which can help alleviate pain, but splints are not a cure for teeth grinding; the jaw pain usually returns once the splint has been removed.

Tooth Pain
Perhaps the most obvious, and most serious, symptom of teeth grinding is tooth pain. It’s not hard to figure out why this occurs. Teeth are not built to withstand the extreme pressure that bruxers put on them. Grinding of teeth applies the same force you’d need to crack a walnut, and teeth cannot stay healthy in the long run when exposed to that pressure every day.

Grinding can lead to small fissures or fractures in the tooth, which causes pain when the teeth are used for chewing. Sensitivity can develop, because bruxism wears away the enamel that protects the teeth from extreme temperatures, and grinding can wear down teeth, making it difficult and painful to eat.

Wear Spots on Teeth
Wear spots are places on your teeth where the enamel has worn away and the layer underneath, called dentin, begins to fade as well. Dentists keep an eye out for these spots, because they’re an indicator of teeth grinding or clenching. Teeth may become more sensitive when these wear spots develop, because they are less protected without the layers of enamel.

How to Stop Grinding Your Teeth at Night
Once bruxers have identified the problem, many wonder how to stop teeth grinding. There’s no one solution, but there are a number of treatments and medical options that can help manage the problem while preventing further damage to the teeth.

Bruxism Treatment
There are two forms of bruxism treatment. One tends to the symptoms of the disorder, while the other treats the disorder itself, trying to lessen occurrence of symptoms.

Treatments for teeth grinding symptoms aimed at alleviating soreness and tooth pain include:

• Using a warm, wet washcloth on the jaw
• Massaging jaw muscles, the neck, and face to relieve tension on trigger points
• Getting physical therapy
• Doing exercises to relax the jaw
• Visiting a chiropractor
• Using muscle relaxants to relax the jaw

Treatments for bruxism designed to reduce symptoms or get rid of teeth grinding altogether include:

• Reducing stress
• Drinking more water
• Getting more sleep
• Not chewing gum or on other objects
• Consciously relaxing the face and jaw throughout the day
• Buying a teeth grinding mouth guard
• Avoiding alcohol, which increases the urge to clench the teeth
• Avoiding caffeine, which can make you jumpy and tense

The most popular and widely used of these solutions is mouth guards.

Custom Night Guards
Night guards are mouth guards that are worn at night to guard against teeth grinding. They are different from mouth guards worn during athletics. The idea is that people will continue to grind their teeth at night, but by using a mouth guard, they avoid damaging their teeth, because the guard takes the brunt of the grinding.

There are two types of night guards. The first is a custom night guard made by a dentist, who will get an impression of your mouth and teeth and build a guard to those specifications. That guard cannot be used by anyone else, because it will not fit properly. Custom night guards are often the smarter choice in protecting against bruxism, because they account for your unique mouth shape and circumstances.

You can also buy a non-custom night guard at a drug store. These may fit less comfortably, because they aren’t designed with your mouth in mind. Still, they shield the teeth from the worst of the night grinding.
Some dentists even recommend night guards for people who do not currently suffer from bruxism, as these guards protect the mouth from any sort of night trauma. They view the guards as insurance for your dental work.

Jaw Exercises
Another way to treat teeth grinding is to do daily jaw exercises. A physical therapist or chiropractor can recommend more specialized exercises, but here are a few to start with that will help relax and strengthen your jaw – perform each exercise three to six times, two or three times a day:

• Using a warm, wet washcloth on the jaw
• Place your thumb underneath your chin; open and close the mouth while keeping your thumb in place
• Put your thumb and forefinger on the front of your chin; push your jaw out so that your hand moves forward
• Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth and open and close
• Position a finger just inside your mouth; let your jaw go slack

Bruxism Treatment and Beyond
There is no cure for bruxism, but it can be managed. By using a custom night guard, employing pain management tactics, and strengthening the jaw with exercises, bruxers can lessen their symptoms and avoid major dental work.

If you are interested in getting an estimate on custom night guards to help stop teeth grinding, contact Hanover Family Dentistry today.