Symptoms of Bruxism
- Headaches
- Earaches
- Clicking sounds
- Pain in the:jaw, neck & shoulder area
Bruxism is a medical-dental term for occasional or habitual teeth grinding and clenching. Bruxism is common and many experts believe it is triggered by general stress of daily life such as worry, anger, competition, excessive concentration, performance under pressure and so on.
As a result, a person (even a child), may experience a variety of symptoms including headaches, earaches, pain in the jaw, neck, shoulder area, as well as clicking sounds during opening and closing of the mouth.
Bruxism is a medical-dental term for occasional or habitual teeth grinding and clenching.
A major concern with bruxism, is that with time, it can cause tooth structure (and fillings) to grind and chip away due to the unnatural and excessive pressure applied.
Occasionally the pulp or nerve is exposed, thereby requiring root canal therapy to alleviate the pain. In severe cases, chronic bruxers can reduce their teeth down to the gum-line. These people can sometimes be identified by the deceased distance between their nose and chin since their dentition has been drastically reduced in height.
In addition, the muscles of mastication occasionally become increased in size and give the patient a unique appearance. Extensive restorative dentistry is required to regain the normal height of the entire dentition, therefore early detection is important.
Despite the severity of these symptoms, that damage of bruxism can be controlled by having your dentist fabricate a dental splint, commonly known as a night guard.
Bruxism is very common during sleep. Waking up with sore jaw muscles may be the first sign, although patients are usually not aware of their habit unless a sleeping partner tells them. In most cases, the dentist is the first to observe the signs of bruxism. Despite the severity of these symptoms, that damage of bruxism can be controlled by having your dentist fabricate a dental splint, commonly known as a night guard.
Simply wearing this appliance during your sleep will protect teeth, and may help patients give up the habit. Physiotherapy can be very useful in decreasing the pain, and with deeply-rooted cases, where psychological factors play a role, psychotherapy is often used.
Just remember that a simple night-guard appliance can often be all that is required to protect an entire dentition from slowly wearing down to nothing. Please inform your dentist if you suffer from any of the symptoms of bruxism.
