BRUXISM (TEETH GRINDING/CLENCHING)

I deal with this issue almost daily with patients in my practice.  When you wake up with a stiff, tired, achy jaw that gets better as the day goes on, you most likely are grinding your teeth during the night.  Grinding at night, also known as bruxism, is a habit of tightly squeezing your top and bottom teeth together while at the same time sliding them back and forth over each other.  Clenching, on the other hand, is when you squeeze your teeth tightly together only, without sliding them back and forth on each other.  Bruxism can happen at any age to children or adults.  Many children do this at an early age but outgrow the habit.  Fortunately, when they do grind it is on their primary or baby teeth which will be lost anyway.

People who suffer from bruxism may have the following symptoms:  1)  Facial pain.  Grinding your teeth back and forth under high pressure will cause the muscles in your jaw and neck to contract and release 75% more than in normal use.  This lends to lactic acid building up in your muscles, resulting in spasm.  2)  Worn, broken and cracked teeth and fillings.  Studies show that the pressure on your teeth during grinding is five times higher than the pressure from normal chewing.  This extra force is pulverizing your teeth.  Studies indicate that those who grind their teeth experience up to 80 times the normal wear per day compared with those who don't.  3)  Loose teeth.  If left untreated, this powerful force of rocking your teeth back and forth will loosen your teeth in the jaw.  4)  Headaches and/or earaches from spasming muscles.  5)  Cold sensitivity and/or sore teeth when chewing.  The first symptom of an injured or inflamed nerve inside a tooth is cold sensitivity.  This will be resolved if the forces on teeth are eliminated.

So what causes bruxism?  Why do some individuals grind and others don't?  One of the major causes of bruxism is stress.  Bruxism can be a neuro-muscular reaction to stress.  We don't know the full process, but if you go to bed with undue stress, there is a good chance you will grind your teeth for a portion of your sleep.  Studies indicate bruxism occurs during the deep REM part of your sleeping pattern.  Abnormal biting, where teeth don't close correctly, can also lead to bruxism, as the body will try and grind teeth down until it feels proper.

Bruxism is primarily treated with an acrylic night guard that is worn while you sleep.  This night guard slips over either the upper or lower teeth preventing the teeth from touching.  It protects teeth and prevents them from wearing down.  When a dentist fabricates this night guard, he or she will adjust it so all teeth slide evenly over each other like a skating rink.  The once tense muscles will begin to relax and muscle fatigue will be eliminated.