Teeth Grinding / Bruxism and the effects on your body
What is Teeth Grinding?
Teeth grinding is when a person clenches their jaw through the day and/or though the night.
Many will learn that they grind their teeth when another person, either their bed partner or someone sitting next to them lets the person grinding their teeth know.
Teeth grinding affects adults, but it also affects children.
Bruxism is the medical term for the act of occasionally grinding a person’s teeth from time to time. This occasional grinding of teeth often does not cause any irritation or problems.
When a person grinds their teeth on a regular basis, they can ultimately damage their teeth which causes oral health issues.
Causes of Teeth Grinding
There are many things that can cause teeth grinding. The most well known reason is stress. During the day, if you grind your teeth, it could be caused by stress or anxiety that may arise during certain situations depending on the triggers experienced by the person. Stress can also impact the way that a person sleeps. This can ultimately cause a person to unconsciously grind their teeth throughout the night, causing morning headaches, sore jaw muscles, or even trouble chewing due to irritation caused by pain.
Another cause for teeth grinding can also be caused by misalignment of the teeth and jaw, missing teeth, an abnormal bite, or even the sleep disorder known as Sleep Apnea.
As for the reason that children grind their teeth, there is no exact reason, but a major reason is misalignment or the teeth being crooked. Other medical conditions such as deficiencies in nutrition, allergies, anxiety, mental disorders, and other medical conditions and illnesses. The clenching of the child’s jaw can decrease over time as the child grows older and loses their baby teeth.
Affects on the Body
Over time, grinding teeth can cause headaches, pain in the jaw, weakened enamel, teeth sensitivity, jaw irritation, TMJ which can cause pain in the joint located in the jaw joint along with the muscles used to support the jaw, weakened jaw, and other jaw related issues. If a person grinds their teeth often, they can cause wear on any crowns, veneers, or other frequently worn oral appliances. This can also affect the teeth being fractured, broken, or becoming loose.
This can cause headaches, pain in your jaw, weakened jaw, or serious conditions such as TMJ, weakened enamel, or ultimately can lead to the necessity for oral operations.
When a person grinds their teeth on a regular basis, they can ultimately damage their teeth which causes oral health issues.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is when the body temporarily ceases breathing due to the structural muscles in the throat relax, causing a blockage in the airway. This blockage causes a person to choke or gasp for air, momentarily waking up, and falling back asleep once that breath is taken. Central Sleep Apnea is when the brain does not tell the breathing muscles in the body to breathe, which puts more stress on the heart due to having to work harder.
How to Stop
Before going to bed, you can run warm water over a small cloth or towel that you can rest on your jaw to relax the jaw muscles. This will help lessen the tense muscles and relax them. By having your jaw muscles relaxed before going to bed, the likeliness of teeth grinding overnight can decrease.
If a person does mental checks throughout the day to see if they are clenching their jaw during everyday activities can cause more awareness to limit the amount of strain is put on their jaw. These mental reminders can assist in relieving the pain along with headaches that they may be experiencing.
Some foods that contain caffeine can also cause teeth grinding. If you experience any of the symptoms, you can try cutting back on those caffeinated foods and drinks. This also can be caused by consuming alcohol, so possibly consume a lesser amount to see improvements.
Chewing gum can also irritate the jaw, and it sends a signal to the brain which makes teeth grinding have an increased chance of occurring. Avoid chewing on pencils, pens, or any other items that are not food.
Oral Appliances such as mouth-guards or nightguards can be provided that keep the teeth from having wear from teeth grinding. Speak to your dentist for more information about receiving more information on this process.
If you notice your child’s teeth have wear on them, consider speaking to the dentists, especially if the child complains about jaw pain or tooth sensitivity. You can also decrease the child’s stress before bedtime or also try jaw massages or exercises to relax them, and make sure that they are properly hydrated.
More Information
Links
Teeth Grinding - www.webmd.com
Central & Obstructive Sleep Apnea - www.mayoclinic.org