grind guards as bruxism treatment

Bruxism & treatment

Bruxism is the involuntary act of teeth-grinding or jaw-clanching. This activity is non-functional, so does not have to do with either eating or speaking. Signs of teeth grinding can be aching jaw muscles, tooth wear or actual tooth or implant damage. Bruxism can happen while asleep or awake.

The mechanisms and factors behind bruxism are not entirely clear. There are several ways to treat this condition but they simply alleviate the symptoms. Different causes are behind sleep and awake teeth grinding. Also, up to the quarter of the general population may suffer from teeth grinding and it affects slightly more females.

The word comes from the Greek “to bite” and the sufferers are referred to as bruxers or bruxists in medical terms.

Signs and symptoms

Normally, so for those who do not suffer in bruxism, the jaw is generally at rest and the teeth are not in contact during the day. It is only when chewing and swallowing that they come into contact, which is not more than 20 minutes daily. There is usually no teeth contact while sleeping, the jaw is open.

Mild bruxism can go unnoticed since there are no apparent symptoms. Teeth grinding causes significant tooth wear and unexplained fractures. Dental restoration attempts often fail since the grinding itself may not cease.

Known causes of bruxsim

Unfortunately, the cause behind bruxism cannot be clearly identified. It is also debated whether it is totally involuntary or rather a subconscious habit. Teeth grinding is termed as parafunctional activity, meaning it serves no true vital purpose.

Teeth grinding while awake is considered to be partially voluntary. Is it thought to be triggered by stress caused by work issues or family responsibilities. Some my refer to it as clenching. Awake bruxism is often grouped together with oral habits such as chewing on a pencil, nail biting or tongue thrusting.

Evidence suggests that nocturnal bruxism is caused indirectly by sleep arousal. Nocturnal bruxism often gets classified as a sleeping disorder. Still, the sleep disturbances may well be caused by processing the events of daytime stress. In this manner the two types are quite similar.

Recreational drug (extasy, MDMA) abuse or drug addiction may trigger teeth grinding, even if only temporarily. Twice as many smokers suffer from bruxism than non-smokers.

Psychosocial factors

A stressful lifestyle, or more specifically, emotional stress is often seen as the main trigger for bruxism. People suffering from bruxsim react differently to stress, depression and hostility than those without bruxsim. Daytime teeth grinding often occurs during periods of mental strain or concentration (while driving or working at a computer, for example).

Diagnosis of bruxism

Bruxism often goes unnoticed since it does not cause pain directly. It is the effects that can become apparent: grinding sounds, unusual tooth wear and unpleasant jaw muscle fatigue. Teeth grinding is often noticed by one’s partner. Early diagnosis and treatment of bruxism is very important, since further damage to the teeth can be avoided or lessened. Dental professionals have several methods of diagnosing or confirming bruxism.

Management

There is no once-and-for-all cure for bruxism, the treatment aims mainly to minimize furher damage to the teeth. While there is also a physiotherapical approch to cure teeth grinding, the most commonly applied aid is a mechanical device.

Dental guards are to be worn during sleep and they aim to reduce the tooth wear that comes from grinding involuntary at night. This is only to lessen the damage, it does not stop the grinding. While some debate the usefulness of the occlusal splints, there is no other efficient alternative. Patients may wear out these mechanical guards, so their teeth come into contact again. Regularly check your dental guard wear, they usually last about 4-6 months. Unfortunately, it can be hard to wear dental guards are during the day.

There are diverse psychosocial methods to treat bruxsim. The main purpose of all of them is alleviating the overall stress. General stress management, hypnosis (including self-hypnosis) or relaxation techniques can help.

Medication

Several types of medications have been used to treat bruxism. Keep in mind, even when consulting a professional, that it is hard to define the real cause behind bruxsim, so a medical treatment will most probably be a symptomatic treatment attempt.

Common knowledge

The very act of clenching teeth is associated with anger, anguish and stress. “Showing your teeth” implies an attempt to assert dominance. Bruxism is not easy to cure on its own, it is more of an indication of an emotional state or stress level. Sufferes may need to implement lifestyle or attitude changes to eradicate it from their lives. Bruxism in not a sickness in itself like chickenpox, but it is rather their mental or psychological condition that has suffers grind their teeth.

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