Bruxism
Bruxism is a condition in which a patient involuntarily grinds or grinds their teeth. Over time, this can damage the patient’s teeth and may lead to jaw pain and headaches. This problem affects both adults and children. Bruxism is more common at night but can also occur during the day. People who have this problem usually do not realize that they are doing it.
This condition can have many causes but most often it happens due to stress or anxiety. It may be difficult to be careful not to grind your teeth anymore, but there are many ways to reduce it. Most people who have this problem use mouth guards at night.
80% of gnashing of teeth occurs at night. During sleep, the patient involuntarily and unconsciously grits his teeth together and puts pressure. Bruxism during sleep often occurs along with other sleep disorders such as snoring and sleep apnea. Because these patients have trouble sleeping, they are usually tired.
If you find your spouse has bruxism, encourage him or her to see a dentist. The dentist examines the signs of wear on his teeth and takes the necessary measures to reduce dental damage.
Bruxism has many possible causes, but in some cases the cause is still unknown.
However, current medical knowledge points to the following factors:
Anxiety and stress (with increasing stress level, the severity of gnashing teeth worsens).
Dental occlusion (medically it is divided into obvious causes, aggravating factor or result of bruxism).
Psychosocial problems
Taking antidepressants
Taking medications such as ecstasy
Smoking (smokers experience these problems 5 times more often than other people).
Excessive consumption of alcohol or caffeine
Sleep disorders
Tongue tie
Neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease
Genetic causes cannot be ruled out. There seems to be a link between genetic factors and bruxism, but it has not yet been clearly proven. Of all these reasons, stress and anxiety are the most common. Approximately 70% of diagnosed cases are due to stress (work or school). Most people experience varying degrees of stress at different times in their lives. Often, when the stress level decreases, the problem of bruxism also disappears.
Symptoms of bruxism
Many people are unaware that they have gritted teeth at night. The most obvious symptom of this disease is the sound of scratching and pressure of the teeth on each other. This is an unpleasant sound that people around you notice.
But you cannot wait for the feedback of others to know that you must have this disease, so watch out for other symptoms of gnashing teeth. These symptoms include:
Muscle pain around the jaw and temporomandibular joint causes a feeling of tightness and the mouth does not open much.
Earache and tinnitus
Headache
Pain around the neck, cheeks, and shoulders
Sleep disturbance in such a way that you feel tired even though you think you have slept enough.
Excessive wear on the tooth surface that can lead to tooth sensitivity.
Lip fillings, crowns or other dentures
Cracked or broken teeth
Bleeding gums (especially at night)
Your dentist can check for signs of bruxism and damage to your teeth. If you are worried, tell them when you see a dentist.
Research has shown that 20% of children have symptoms of bruxism. However, the actual number may be higher than this figure, as the symptoms may not be noticed by parents. This problem is considered a sleep disorder so it can affect behavior due to sleep problems. For example, bruxism occurs on average 4 seconds or even up to 6 hours during the night. This makes the child tired and nervous the next morning.
Of course, it is sad for parents to hear the sound of children gnashing their teeth. This happens with the growth of deciduous teeth or permanent teeth. This problem should stop when the permanent teeth are complete. There seems to be a clear link between children’s bruxism and respiratory problems (due to airway obstruction). Some surgeries can solve these respiratory problems.
Anxiety and stress are also linked to this problem. Your child may be stressed due to a fight or incident during the day, so it is best to talk to him or her to find out what is bothering him or her. Do relaxing activities before bed to reduce her anxiety. Learn more about children’s oral health problems and what you can do to prevent them.
Treatment of bruxism
The initial course of treatment for this disease is usually to limit further damage. Then you should see a doctor and psychiatrist to find the causes.
Mouth protector for gritted teeth
Mouse Guard or Byte Guard
A regular mouth guard at night protects teeth against bruxism.
Most dentists recommend that patients use a toothpaste at night to protect their teeth. The denture creates a protective layer between the upper and lower jaws so the teeth no longer overlap and stops tooth wear.
