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Have you found yourself grinding or clenching your teeth or perhaps noticed some worrying symptoms recently? Teeth grinding and clenching is a habit called bruxism, and it is very common. Some people will clench and grind during the day, but it is a habit that often occurs during sleep. Consequently, it is all too easy to be completely unaware you have this habit. However, if you have a sleeping partner, they may well complain as grinding your teeth is a surprisingly noisy habit, and you can imagine the damage it can cause to your pearly whites. It’s not just your teeth that can become damaged, as any dental restorations may suffer, especially if you have crowns, bridges, dental veneers, or dental implants. At the same time, teeth grinding can affect your jaw joints, and there is a risk you could end up with a painful disorder called temporomandibular joint disorder or TMD.
There are several reasons why someone might grind their teeth, and sometimes it’s genetic. If you have close family members with a bruxism habit, the odds of you developing teeth grinding and clenching increase. It can occur if you have an abnormal bite, where your teeth do not occlude or bite together properly, or if you are missing teeth. Bruxism is also linked to another sleep disorder called sleep apnea. It is thought bruxism can be linked to stress and anxiety.
If you have a sleeping partner, they will almost certainly notice if you grind your teeth during your sleep, but otherwise, it can be difficult to tell if you are clenching and grinding. However, there are some symptoms. One of these is waking up with an aching jaw, teeth, and even sore facial muscles. The pain of bruxism can spread to your neck and shoulders or cause continual and chronic headaches.
Your teeth could become increasingly sensitive, especially when you eat anything hot or cold or something sweet or sour. This is because teeth grinding and clenching will wear down and damage the protective enamel coating your teeth. It can also cause gum recession, so you can take a look and see if the tooth roots have become exposed. The pressure created by tooth grinding and clenching can create notches at the base of your teeth, especially if your gums have begun to recede.
Yet another symptom of bruxism is noticing your teeth look shorter than you remember, as teeth grinding and clenching can sometimes wear them down, so they are little more than stumps. When teeth grinding and clenching wears down teeth significantly, it can affect your facial appearance, diminishing the height between your upper and lower jaws, so your face appears to be collapsing inward. You can see a similar effect in people who wear full dentures that don’t provide the right support for their cheeks and lips.
The best way to find out if you have bruxism is to visit your dentist.
When your dentist examines your teeth, they can soon tell if you have bruxism by checking for signs of excessive wear and tear and testing your teeth to see if they are sensitive to anything cold. Your dentist will also want to ask about any symptoms you are experiencing, and they could gently feel your jaw joints for signs of tenderness and inflammation. They will check the range of movement of your jaw, as sometimes severe bruxism can make it difficult to open and close your jaw comfortably or to move it from side to side. Other diagnostic tests will almost certainly include dental x-rays or a CT scan. These images can allow your dentist to assess your teeth, jaws, and jaw joints closely. There are especially useful if your jaw joints are inflamed and painful.
If you are diagnosed with bruxism, your dentist’s main aim will be to prevent this habit from continuing, protecting your teeth and jaw joints from further destruction. One of the most straightforward ways is to physically prevent you from grinding your teeth during the night, usually by supplying you with a custom-made nightguard. A nightguard is made to fit exactly over your teeth, usually your upper teeth, so that when you try to clench and grind, your lower teeth grind harmlessly against the guard. Some people find they only need to wear a nightguard or night splint for a short while, which is sufficient to break the habit. The habit may be more deeply ingrained in others, and they will need to wear the nightguard a lot longer. However, wearing a nightguard is most likely only part of the treatment as often a multifaceted approach is most effective.
It’s worth looking at lifestyle habits that can be changed. For example, if you drink a lot of tea or coffee or eat chocolate, the caffeine in these foods and beverages can exacerbate a grinding habit. It can also be worth cutting back on alcohol as teeth grinding and clenching can worsen after drinking. Other habits that are best avoided include chewing on pens and pencils during the day or chewing gum as your jaw muscles become more accustomed to chewing. Also, make an effort to become consciously aware during the daytime of when you might be clenching your teeth and make an effort to relax your jaws physically. One thing that can help is to put the tip of your tongue between your teeth so your jaws are automatically in a more relaxed position.
Aching jaw joints can often be soothed with a warm washcloth. Before you go to bed, make sure you are as relaxed as possible and have a good bedtime routine that includes a warm, soothing drink, or start practicing meditation or yoga to promote relaxation. These habits can be especially useful if stress or anxiety is a factor in teeth grinding and clenching. If these options don’t help, you can always ask your dentist or doctor for muscle relaxants.
Do you have any questions about the Bruxism? For more information or to schedule an appointment with the family dentist Khabensky DDS of Family Cosmetic & Implants Dentistry of Brooklyn? Please contact our family dental center in Brooklyn, NY for consultation with the dentists Alex and Igor Khabensky DDS.
