Teeth Grinding: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

If you are looking for a dental practice that provides quality teeth grinding treatments, look no further. Mawson Dental Care offers bruxism therapy in Canberra. Get in touch with us today to book an appointment.

Have you found yourself gnashing your teeth involuntarily while you're at work? Or your partner wakes up in the middle of the night to the loud and chronic clenching of your teeth?

Teeth grinding is something that happens to us from time to time. Occasional occurrence probably won't do any harm. But it you keep on grinding your teeth on a regular basis, you might want to find out why it occurs and what you can do to treat it.

What is Teeth Grinding?

Teeth grinding, also known as Bruxism, is a condition where a person grinds, clenches, or gnashes their teeth unconsciously. Dental Abnormalities, lifestyle, and stress are all contributing factors to teeth grinding. However, it can also be a result of a mix of biological, psychological, and genetic factors.

People who grind their teeth unconsciously tend to have frequent pain in the jaw muscles, experience tooth damage, or even make them loose teeth. When left untreated, it can also lead to several other risk factors in the long run.

Two Types of Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding is often classified into two types.

Awake Bruxism

If you are grinding your teeth when you are awake, you may be experiencing a condition called Awake Bruxism. Typically, it happens when you or someone you know undergoes stress or tension at the moment. It might also be a habit or a coping mechanism used when concentrating intensely.

In most cases, this type of bruxism does not require treatment as long as you are aware of it and you stop immediately.

Sleep Bruxism

On the other hand, sleep bruxism occurs during sleep and may more likely to cause harm. Sleep bruxism is dangerous given that people don't notice how hard they're clenching their jaw and teeth during sleep. With up to 200 pounds of force, they can damage their teeth and hurt their jaw muscles, which can result to chronic headaches and migraines.

What Causes Excessive Teeth Grinding?

Teeth grinding is often linked with stress and anxiety. But although there are no clear findings to support this, other medical practitioners believe that some of the reasons why people grind their teeth could be one of the following:

Malocclusion or misalignment of teeth
Sleeping positions or a serious sleep disorder called sleep apnea
Smoking, excessive drinking of alcohol and caffeine, as well as use of cocaine and ecstasy
Taking specific medications and antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

a dentist treating a patient with sleep bruxism

In some cases, teeth grinding can also be associated with more serious medical conditions such as Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and dementia.

Do Most People Grind their Teeth?

Research shows that almost 50% of children grind their teeth at night including infants and toddlers who have already started growing their teeth. While 15% of teenagers are thought to experience sleep bruxism.

Age affects how frequently it occurs. As an example, only 3% of the older population and about 8% of middle-aged adults are thought to grind their teeth at night. This goes to show that children and adolescents are more likely to experience sleep bruxism than adults.

checking if a child has a teeth grinding problem

Signs and Symptoms of Bruxism

Teeth grinding may not be noticeable to many especially when it occurs during sleep, but some of the signs and symptoms that can suspect teeth grinding may include:

headaches and migraines in the morning
interrupted sleep
pain around the ears
loose or painful teeth
tired and aching jaw muscles
locked jaw, where you have a hard time opening your mouth
fractured or chipped teeth
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which produces a clicking noise in the jaw
difficulty eating
jaw clenching

sore jaw and sensitive teeth as a result of tooth grinding

Is Teeth Grinding Serious?

Involuntary teeth grinding can impose risk factors when left untreated. Aside from tooth damage, TMJ disorders, and muscle tensions, it could also affect your mental health especially if you are not getting a proper amount of sleep.

Other psychological reports show that individuals suffering from teeth grinding had higher risks of anxiety and depression compared to those who are not experiencing it.

Can Teeth Grinding Cause Permanent Damage on My Teeth?

Depending on the severity and if not given enough medical attention and dental treatment, teeth grinding may cause permanent damage on your teeth.

Over time, your teeth becomes more sensitive and brittle which leads it to become more susceptible to tooth decays, chipping, and wearing off of its natural enamel.

As it continues, the constant pressure removes your enamel coating. Thus, weakening the overall structure of your teeth, which contains a mass of nerves, blood vessels, and soft tissues.

How Do You Get Rid of Bruxism?

Although teeth grinding conditions are manageable, you can further avoid significant dental complications just by trying the following tips below:

Determine the main cause

Understand the triggers of your bruxism and what factors may be causing them. Some people discover that when they are upset and anxious, they grind their teeth.

Thus, determining the cause of stress and practicing stress management techniques such as routine exercise, yoga, meditation, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep helps lessen teeth grinding.

Other times, a misaligned bite or a severe sleep breathing condition like obstructive sleep apnea contribute to teeth grinding.

occlusal splint and night guard to stop grinding and muscle tension

Try to relax yourself

Since stress and anxiety are factors that contribute to bruxism, you might want to look for ways on how to relax at any moment of the day. By simply listening to music, breathing fresh air, or by reading a book, you can see significant improvements in your condition.

Improve your sleeping patterns

If you have been experiencing sleep bruxism for quite some time now, you know how hard it is to wake up sleepy and tired from all the teeth and jaw pain you had while you were asleep. This is the reason why you should improve your sleeping pattern.

Create a consistent sleep schedule and make sure to follow it. Relax yourself before going to bed. Keep your room cool and quiet and avoid distractions. As much as possible, don't take stimulants or antidepressants and instead, choose the natural way to fall asleep.

Visit your dentist and take oral exams

When it comes to oral health, there is no better way to check it than to go to your dentist. Have your check-up, take some oral exams, and get diagnosed to understand more about your condition. Your dentist will examine your teeth, look for signs and symptoms, and provide treatments for you if proven that you have teeth grinding issues.

Use Mouth Guards

After check-up, your dentist may recommend that you use a mouth splint or a mouth guard to protect your teeth and jaw during the day or at nighttime. Your dentist will make a model and craft them perfectly to fit over your upper and lower teeth.

Relieve your Bruxism Now

If you think you are chronically experiencing teeth grinding or bruxism, it is important that you get yourself checked and treated as soon as possible to prevent worsening your condition.

Our dental team of experts at Mawson Dental Care provides therapy and treatment for teeth grinding and jaw clenching. With the right diagnosis and intervention, we can help you find the right solution for your condition.

Whether you need night guards or stress management therapy, we got them all covered for you to help you improve your lifestyle.