Do You Grind Your Teeth At Night?

Ever wake up and found that your jaw felt tired

? You're not alone. Many people in the US and all over the world have the same problem. Bruxism is a medical condition, a type of sleep disorder, where the sufferer unconsciously grinds their teeth while asleep or clenches them tightly, which is as bad as grinding is for the health of your teeth and gums. The people who have this condition commonly feel stiffness in their jaw and experience extra sensitivity in the teeth to very cold or hot drinks.

Bruxism

The dangers of Bruxism are apparent - the enamel of the teeth can wear down ten times faster than for normal people, damaging and even destroying them completely. Additionally the constant tension in the muscles of the jaw can cause aches and pains, especially tension headaches while the teeth and gums themselves are stressed and damaged. Bruxism is regarded as a parafunctional habit - the exercising of a body part in an uncommon way - and occurs in the lives of most people at some point or another. While it is not severe enough to require corrective or preventative measures in most cases, during sleep, this habit can be dangerous to oral health. Most people are not aware of the problem and only a small percentage of sufferers go on to develop problems which require some treatment (such as jaw pains, headaches and even neck and shoulder pains in addition to damaged teeth). Symptoms include; Anxiety, Stress, Tension, Depression, Earache, Eating disorders, Headache, Insomnia and a sore or painful jaw (Wikipedia).

Diagnosis

It is difficult for people to realize that they possess this habit. It is even difficult for trained dental clinicians to recognize Bruxing from the condition of the teeth as teeth can wear out of a multitude of reasons. The surest way to find out quickly is the use of EMG (electromyographic) measurements. These are devices which pick up electric signals from chewing muscles and can distinguish movements such as grinding, chewing and clenching while a patient sleeps. The results can clue your doctor in on whatever is really going on with your mouth while you sleep.

Prevention treatment

While it is advisable to go to the dentist or physician to reverse the damage done or find the causes for the habit, it is advisable even for those undergoing treatment to use oral devices in order to stop the damage from continuing. There are several physiological and psychological factors associated with the condition, any one of which may have a cause and effect relationship with the condition. Physicians and dentists can recommend and conduct treatment of the associated factors, which ultimately eliminated Bruxing, however, prevention of damage until such a time is the smart thing to do.

Using a mouth-guard at night;

A night-guard is a dental guard made of acrylic which can be custom designed for each individual's oral and dental structure. Wearing such a guard prevents abrasions on teeth during Bruxing. Wearing a night guard benefits patients in many ways including;

Prevention of serious damage to the temporomandibular joints

Preventing the gradual change of position of the teeth that usually occurs as a result of Bruxing

Prevention of tooth abrasion and damage

Diagnosis; Dentists can look at the condition of the mouth-guard and be able to tell the extent and direction of the grinding

Reference:

Wikipedia; 'Bruxism', 'Grinding', 'Parafunctional Activity'

by: Asha Gurz

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