Teeth Grinding Explained and How To Stop

It's an unconscious condition that your dentist discovers or that others notice because you're making a noise while sleeping. It's a condition in which you grind or clench your teeth.

Why does bruxism occur?

There are many causes, but mainly it is anxiety, stress, and strong emotions. There is also a behavioral pattern that is more prone to bruxism, such as competitive, hyperactive, aggressive people, those with sleep disorders, and those taking antidepressants.

It is said that bruxism is the disease of the modern generation because the world we live in has changed so much. Technology has evolved a lot, we are restless every day, we have more worries throughout the day and we don't have the spiritual peace of 50 years ago. Because of stress and anxiety, you start to grind your teeth.

But there is also non-pathological bruxism that occurs in children. It occurs during tooth changing. From temporary teeth to permanent teeth.

How does bruxism manifest itself? What do you feel?

You can't tell by yourself that you are grinding your teeth and if you don't detect this problem early, in a few months or maybe a few years you will have worn teeth. Your teeth will shorten, they will no longer have sharp shapes, and they will be painful.

In the morning you may feel pain in the temporomandibular joint, headaches, and pain in the masseter muscles because you strain your muscles a lot during the night. Although the muscles of the face are relatively small, they are extremely strong.

The dentist can see cracks in your teeth, dental fractures, enamel damage, and damage to old crowns if there are any, and will be able to warn you that there is a problem.

How can I prevent this and what is the treatment?

The most common is with mouthguard and control emotions, anxiety, and stress.

To prevent bruxism you need to have a good night's sleep and correct occlusion.

The cause is treated by a psychologist. Since you have been obsessed for years with grinding your teeth, it will be very hard to get rid of it and suddenly say "no more teeth grinding". Plus you do it at night, unconsciously, you have no way to control it. The treatment is long-lasting, some doctors even recommend yoga, muscle relaxation techniques, and tongue relaxation techniques. There are so many things you can do and unfortunately too few studies to say if they are effective or not.

What you can treat instead is the consequence. It can be treated at the dentist by using mouth guards. This means that you wear a mouthguard at night so that your teeth don't touch each other and so don't cause damage.

The mouthguard can be worn all your life, even if bruxism episodes are not always every day, every night. They occur at certain times of life when you are going through a stressful period. It is necessary to wear the mouthguard during periods of active bruxism, and you may not wear the mouthguard on holidays for example when you are relaxed and waking up refreshed. The mouthguard permanently relaxes your facial muscles, besides protecting your teeth. You prevent this reflex from reappearing even if it is not always present.

I don't want to wear a mouthguard. Can I lose my teeth?

Mainly bruxism can also lead to dental fractures and teeth grinding so much that the height of the teeth is reduced.

Bruxism causes irreversible damage and does not even lead to tooth loss, but it must be treated by your dentist because it causes pain and discomfort.