If you grind your teeth at night while sleeping, you’re not alone — WebMD.com reports that “most people” grind their teeth during sleep at some point or another in their life. Physicians and experts even have a name for this: Bruxism.
Bruxism is the official term for occasional teeth grinding and jaw clenching.
Frequent or chronic teeth grinding is another matter entirely and WebMD.com reports that constant teeth grinding can damage teeth and result in “other complications,” such as “jaw muscle discomfort.”
Occasional teeth grinding can come about from several different sources. While no one knows for sure why Bruxism begins, experts believe there can be a few explanations.
WebMD.com claims that “Stressful situations, an abnormal bite, and crooked or missing teeth appear to contribute [to Bruxism].”
The Mayo Clinic offers a bit more of an explanation regarding teeth grinding: “Bruxism may be mild and may not even require treatment. However, it can be frequent and severe enough to lead to jaw disorders, headaches, damaged teeth and other problems. Because you may have sleep Bruxism and be unaware of it until complications develop, it’s important to know the signs and symptoms of Bruxism and to seek regular dental care.”
According to MayoClinic.com, the symptoms of Bruxism are:
- Teeth grinding or clenching, which may be loud enough to awaken your sleep partner
- Teeth that are worn down, flattened, fractured or chipped
- Worn tooth enamel, exposing deeper layers of your tooth
- Increased tooth sensitivity
- Jaw pain or tightness in your jaw muscles
- Enlarged jaw muscles
- Earache — because of severe jaw muscle contractions, not a problem with your ear
- Headache
- Chronic facial pain
- Chewed tissue on the inside of your cheek
- Indentations on your tongue
There are no pills or medications to cure teeth grinding causes, but WebMD.com does recommend using a mouth guard, giving to you by your dentist. The guard will fit over your teeth and prevent your teeth from grinding against each other. WebMD also recommends that you work at ways to reduce your stress and also avoid caffeine and alcohol.
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You’re spot on with the description of bruxism. What happens is the actual teeth grinding will deteriorate the teeth enamel by grinding them down. Clenching is a different kettle of fish though. While the bruxing activity damages the dental structure the clenching puts the strain around the temporomandibular joint (referred to as the TMJ). It runs below the earlobe and the more tension caused by the clenching activity puts strain on that muscle. Mouth guards are effective for the grinding part and for clenching usually a dentist will let patients know about some mouth exercises to ease the strain.