Teeth Grinding

Bruxism: Signs And Symptoms

What is Bruxism? If you find yourself waking up with sore jaw muscles or a headache, you may be suffering from bruxism the grinding and clenching of teeth. Bruxism can cause teeth to become painful and sometimes parts of the teeth are literally ground away. Eventually, bruxism can destroy the surrounding bone and gum tissue. It can also lead to problems involving the jaw joint, such as temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ).

How Do I Know If I Have Bruxism?

For many people, bruxism is an unconscious habit. They may not even realize they’re doing it until someone comments that they make a horrible grinding sound while sleeping. For others, a routine dental checkup is when they discover their teeth are worn or their tooth enamel is fractured.

Other potential signs of bruxism include aching in the face, head and neck. Your dentist can make an accurate diagnosis and determine if the source of facial pain is a result from bruxism health. Symptoms such as migraines, headaches and a sore neck are also symptoms.

How Is Bruxism Treated?

The appropriate treatment for you will depend on what is causing the problem. By asking careful questions and thoroughly examining your teeth, your dentist can help you determine the potential source of your bruxism. Based on the amount of tooth damage and its likely cause, your dentist may suggest:

Wearing an appliance while sleeping custom-made by your dentist to fit your teeth, the appliance slips over the upper teeth and protects them from grinding against the lower teeth. While a nightguard is a good way to manage bruxism, it is not a cure.

Reducing the high spots of one or more teeth to even your bite, one in which teeth do not fit well together, may also be corrected with new fillings, crowns or orthodontics.

Chiropractic therapy, as well as massage therapy, or botox are also solutions to severe TMJ symptoms and issues.