Have you ever eaten a hard candy? It is difficult not to grind and chew on it, isn’t it? If you have a doctor or dentist in the house, they will tell you how grinding a hard candy is bad for your teeth. teeth grinding is somewhat similar to grinding a hard candy, only that there is actually no toffy in your mouth.
Bruxism definition
Teeth grinding is a medical condition. It is defined as a condition in which you grind your teeth while sleeping. Often related to sleep disorders, the condition can affect an awake person as well. If you are awake, you may find yourself clenching or gritting your teeth.
Bruxism in sleep
Teeth grinding is an involuntary act, and it is done without any conscious effort. It is considered a sleep-movement disorder which is present alongside other sleep disturbances as sleep apnea or snoring.
Bruxism damages our dental health just as chewing on candy is hard on your teeth. While sleep teeth grinding signs and symptoms may not be very evident earlier on in the condition, its complications become severe enough if left unchecked.
What are the causes of bruxism?
There are no known causes of bruxism. TMJ may arise as a secondary condition to psychological, social, and physical issues. Some state genetics and family history when no apparent reason is found in such patients. Bruxism may arise due to
Stress, anger, anxiety, and other emotional triggers
An abnormal bite, a missed, cracked, or broken tooth. The upper and lower teeth do not align accurately when the jaw closes.
Spasms of the muscles of the face
In young children, when teething begins.
Side effects of certain medicines as anti-depressants and anti-psychotics
Some neurological disease as Parkinson disease, dementia, epilepsy, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD)
Smoking
Excess alcohol consumption or intake of caffeinated drinks
Fatigue
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children
Type A personality with a competitive or aggressive attitude
Despite the similarity of the physical action, sleep and awake TMJ are two distinct conditions, with the latter more prevalent than its counterpart. Awake TMJ is usually more related to stressful lifestyle and events than the sleep variety. This type of bruxism becomes more prominent while a person is involved in some activity that requires concentration like driving, and so on.
The signs and symptoms of bruxism
TMJ is quite prevalent in children. According to the Sleep Foundation.org, about 14 to 20 percent of children under eleven years exhibit bruxism. The stat figures decrease with an increase in age, the lowest rate reported in adults over 65. The conditions affect only 8% of adults, while figures reported by 38% of parents say that children under 17 grind their teeth while sleeping.
The primary symptom of TMJ is the grinding of teeth in sleep. Clenching of teeth due to emotional stimuli or stress triggers are regular. But when it involves force, it becomes problematic. Observations are that such patients’ bite strength can go up to a force of about 250 pounds. When such forceful clenching and grinding occurs, it is sure to impact oral and dental health.
The interesting thing about sleep TMJ is that the act is inconsistent during a sleep cycle. The patient may have grinding episodes during a single sleep cycle, up to 100 at one time. At the same time, the same patient may not exhibit any episode on some other nights.
So the two main factors related to sleep bruxism are;
Force
Frequency
Often the patient is not aware of his grinding teeth action while sleeping. It is the partner or other family members that may point the condition out. If you sleep alone, you may not notice that you suffer from TMJ in the early stages of the condition. However, with time the force and frequency of regular grinding action results in such signs and symptoms as;
Jaw pain with the occasional feeling of tight or locked jaw
Neck pain or pain and soreness in the face area
Morning headaches that may be mistaken for tension headaches
Noise loud enough to wake up others around you
flattened, fractured, chipped, or loose teeth
Worn tooth enamel that exposes the deeper layers of teeth
Pain or sensitivity in the affected teeth
An earache without any ear ailment
Soft tissue damage on the inside of your cheek from chewing
Joint disorders of the facial bones
Sleep disturbance
Bruxism teeth
The repetitive grinding of the teeth can result in fractured and loose teeth. The loose teeth may fall off or, in some cases, wear down to stumps. The treatment lies in crowns, bridges, implants, root canals, or the teeth’ replacement, which are expensive treatments that may break your bank. Besides being an aesthetic loss, such teeth may cause feeding difficulties culminating in nutritional deficiencies in the long run.
The forceful grinding action of the teeth that happens in TMJ causes temporomandibular jaw. It is a disorder that involves the temporomandibular joint, which connects the jawbones to the skull bones in the front of each ear. Pain in the joint and its surrounding areas, primarily upon the mouth’s opening, is the typical sign of TMD. Clicking sounds on chewing, lockjaw, swelling of the specific area, and a tired feeling may tag along the TMJ jaw.
Bruxism pain and bruxism headache
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K3j4lGq9UM
The condition often comes with pain over the jaw angle or the temples. Some may describe it as a headache while others associate the pain with an aching and locked jaw.
Bruxism and sleep apnea
Many research pieces have found a connection between sleep TMJ and obstructive sleep apnea. Though the research is still going on, many hypotheses have been put forward in this regard.
Sleep TMJ is postulated as part of the body’s protective response from the effects of obstructive sleep apnea. For example, to counteract the pauses in breathing activity, open the obstructed airway, or lubricate the dry and parched throat tissues that happen in sleep apnea.
Management of Bruxism
Bruxism exercises
You may do these exercises at home or with a physiotherapist. These tongue and jaw exercises ease away the jaw muscles and help maintain proper alignment of teeth.
Open your mouth wide and touch the teeth in front. Saying the letter ‘N’ loud. These simple moves are effective enough to relieve tension in the jaw muscles.
Botox for bruxism
Botox injections are used to ease away fine lines and wrinkles via relaxing the facial muscles. This technique is also useful in easing the jaw muscles to prevent the forceful grinding action of teeth. A meta-analysis showed the positive effects of Botox in relieving the pain and frequency of bruxism. However, the treatment is reserved for resistant cases that do not respond to other therapeutic remedies.
Bruxism in kids
Treating bruxism in young pre-school children may not require much protocol other than de-stressing the child before going to sleep. If the child complains of pain, a gentle massage on the jaw may help. Older children may show compliance with using a night-guard or tooth crowns. Avoid giving caffeinated fizzy drinks to children near their bedtime.
Take away
TMJ is fixable. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are crucial because if left untreated, it can irreversibly damage oro-dental health.
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