Medically known as bruxism, jaw clenching and teeth grinding is often associated with anxiety or stress. While not everyone will experience symptoms, bruxism treatment is needed when you experience red flags like headaches and facial pains as well as broken teeth.
Without appropriate bruxism treatment, you can end up with damaged, worn, and sensitive teeth and a painful ear, jaw, or face. You are also required to seek dental treatment if the condition results to worn teeth as it might lead to other oral problems like dental abscess or infection.
Teeth Grinding Symptoms
Some of the most prevalent symptoms of teeth grinding can include:
Earache
Headache
Facial pain
Stiffness and pain in the jaw joint as well as the surrounding muscles
Worn-down teeth that results to increased sensitivity and sometimes, eventual tooth loss
Disrupted sleep (for both you and your sleep partner)
Broken teeth or fillings
Teeth Grinding Causes
Causes of teeth grinding are not always clear. However, the condition is often linked to several factors including anxiety, stress, or sleep issues:
Stress and anxiety
For a lot of people, teeth grinding can be attributed to stress or anxiety. Oftentimes, bruxism that’s caused by anxiety or stress do it in their sleep. They’re not aware they are doing it and will often learn about it from their sleep partners.
Medications
Teeth grinding is also sometimes considered the side effect of certain types of medications. In some people, teeth grinding is linked to a certain type of antidepressant.
Sleep disorders
Those who snore or are suffering from a sleep disorder like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are observed to be more likely to grind their teeth during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea is also characterised by breathing interruptions during sleep.
You are also more prone to teeth grinding if:
You mumble or talk during your sleep
You behave violently during sleep (i.e. punching or kicking)
You experience hallucinations (you hear or see things that are not real)
You have sleep paralysis (a temporary inability to speak or move while falling asleep or waking up)
Lifestyle
Other factors that can lead to bruxism or cause it to worsen include:
Drinking of alcoholic drinks
Smoking
Consuming caffeinated beverages like coffee or tea (6 or more cups daily)
Teeth Grinding in Children
Contrary to popular belief, children are not immune from teeth grinding. In fact, teeth grinding has been observed to occur after their adult or baby teeth first appears. However, the grinding often disappears after the adult teeth are formed fully. Seeing your dentist however is recommended if your child’s teeth grinding is already affecting their sleep quality.
Treating (and Preventing) Bruxism
Routine visits to the dentist
If you are suffering from bruxism, consider it best to schedule routine dental visits. This is necessary so any issues caused by your teeth grinding are addressed before they cause more damage.
Dental issues like cracked, crooked, misaligned, or missing teeth can be easily remedied through reconstructive dental treatments like overlays, crowns, and false teeth.
Treat anxiety and stress
If bruxism is caused by anxiety or stress, psychological treatments like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) might be able to help. If the grinding is stress-related, there are a number of things you can try prior to sleeping to help you relax and get a good night’s sleep.
Some of the practices you can try to help relieve both stress and anxiety can include:
Yoga
Reading
Deep breathing
Listening to music
Taking a bath
Massage
If teeth grinding is a side effect of antidepressant medications you are taking, your doctor might recommend another medication. The best thing to do would be to visit your doctor as they know how to best address your case.
