Teeth grinding is the primary sign of a condition known as bruxism. Severe teeth gnashing can produce painful symptoms such as jaw discomfort, headaches, and damaged teeth. Nearly 10% of all adults continuously clench or grind their teeth. Here are some facts about bruxism and how to treat it.
Bruxism Damages More Than Just Your Teeth
For most people, bruxism is somewhat mild. According to dental specialist, Able Dental Group, the most common grinding occurs in the front six upper and lower teeth. This severe grinding teeth can aggravate the lower jaw joints. This can result in tightness or pain in the joint area causing headaches, and even earaches.
Naturally, bruxism is detrimental to your teeth. It can cause chipped or broken teeth, increased tooth sensitivity, or wear down the enamel itself.
What Causes Bruxism?
Stress is a key factor in causing bruxism. When someone is stressed or anxious, they are more likely to grind or clench their teeth. Experts think other factors may include smoking or drinking caffeine prior to going to sleep. Certain personality types are more vulnerable to teeth grinding as well. If you have misaligned teeth and the muscles of your jaw are pulling into unnatural positions, it may result in bruxism.
Bruxism Can Occur Later in Life
Some people don’t develop bruxism until much later in life. Because stress is the primary precursor to teeth grinding, if something unexpected or tragic happens, you may start grinding your teeth no matter what your age.
You May Be In the Dark About Your Teeth Grinding
Ironically, most people who in fact grind their teeth are convinced that they don’t. Since it typically occurs while you’re asleep, it’s likely you’re totally unaware. Unexplained facial pain, headaches, jaw joint tenderness, and earaches are all signs you could be grinding your teeth without even knowing it. Most often, it’s the sleep partner who complains about the disturbance at night of the annoying constant grinding.
Children Grind Their Teeth More than Adults
Somewhere between 15% – 20% of all children grind their teeth. So, does that mean kids are stressed out? Not necessarily. Children sometimes grind their teeth when they are teething or suffering from an earache. Strangely enough, bruxism runs in families, but most children outgrow it by the time they are a teenager.
Bruxism is Treatable
The good news is, bruxism is treatable. For most people, no treatment is required. In more severe cases, a dentist can fit you with a plastic mouth guard to eliminate or reduce tooth damage while you sleep. Sometimes, simply changing your sleep position, or eliminating smoking or caffeine before going to bed can greatly reduce bruxism.
Daytime bruxism is much easier to handle since you’re completely aware of it. Do what you can to loosen your jaw and try to relax if you think it may be stress related.
Anyone with bruxism issues should address their stress levels by incorporating specific techniques to bring their stress levels down such as yoga, listening to music, or even meditation. All work wonders to relieve stress.
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