Help Your Teeth Avoid The Grind

Grinding one’s teeth is natural when one gets angry or tries to suppress a negative emotion. However, when grinding of teeth occurs involuntarily in sleep then one is surely a prime suspect of bruxism.

Bruxism is nothing but the medical term for unconscious grinding of teeth during sleep. Grinding and clenching of teeth occurs due to causes that are yet to be fully ascertained by research scientists and dentists. That it develops out of stress and anxiety has not yet been proven. Clenching of teeth occurs when a person unconsciously clamps together the top and bottom teeth tightly. Grinding takes place when the top and bottom teeth rub against one another producing a distinct sound which often disturbs the sleeping partners.

Bruxism or grinding teeth in sleep can have serious to mild implications. The symptoms are in most cases easily visible to the patients themselves. This is because a person who has been through a session of grinding teeth in the night wakes up the next morning with pain in the gums, headaches or tooth aches. In fact, in very serious instances it can cause jaw disorders, jaw pain, soreness, severe headaches, earaches, damaged teeth, less sleep and other dental problems. Unchecked bruxism may break down enamel and reduces teeth to stumps. Instead of being dressed with white enamel covers, one often sees yellowish and coarser versions. Absence of enamel enables bacteria to penetrate into the softer part of the teeth and produce cavities. In course of time, the condition may lead to bridges, grooves, root canal implant, partial dentures and even complete dentures. Very long term Bruxism may alter or change the facial appearance of a person. Yet, unlike other diseases it is not life threatening as it involves the teeth only.

Sleep Bruxism often exerts extraordinary power on teeth, gums and joints. Experts estimate that the force exerted by bruxism is three times the force generated during chewing. Some even says that it is ten times as powerful. They point out that it is mainly because mind under unconscious control exerts far more superior strength than mind in active control. During chewing, in a conscious state of human mind, the mind passes out only a part of the strength for teeth while during Bruxism the force is entirely exerted on the teeth only and nothing else.

Bruxism or grinding teeth in sleep involves the following treatment. Experts suggest behavior modification that tells a patient how to rest his tongue, teeth and lips properly, using of teeth grinding mouthguards and getting biofeedback with the help of an electronic device for ascertaining muscle activities and uses of headbands. Of these, the use of teeth grinding mouthguards is more prevalent as they tend to arrest the very grinding process during one’s deep sleep and are easier to use.

Many people who are aware of this condition in them have lost precious sleep in an effort to try to find a remedy to this unusual condition. Since it is not a fatal disease its occurrence can definitely be reduced and even stopped if one consults a good dentist.

Bruxism Facts

1) exert as much as 550 pounds of force per square inch (thats more than normal chewing by about 10 times)
2)Bruxism is responsible for chipping the edges of your teeth and sometimes complete breakage
3) Over 80% of people grind their teeth and do not realize it (women do it more than men)
4) It’s most common at night time.
5) People who grind their teeth do it on average 35 minutes for every hour they sleep.

Repairing damage

If your teeth are damaged they can be repaired by replacing the worn crown of the tooth with prosthetic or fake crowns. Materials used to make crowns vary as some are less prone to breaking than others and can last longer. Crowns are now becoming more and more common and work well for bruxism related restorations