Bruxism

• Constant teeth grinding and clenching at night. The sound of grinding and clenching may be loud enough to disturb the sleep partner.
• Dental damages, including flattened, fractured, or chipped teeth.
• Wearing away of the dental enamel, exposing the dentin and deeper layers of the tooth.
• Increased sensitivity due to dentin exposure.
• Locked jaw that doesn’t open or close.
• Soreness around the jaw muscles or temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).
• Facial pain and soreness.
• Neck and jaw pains.
• Earaches.
• Sleep disruption and insomnia.
• Damaged soft tissues, such as cheeks, due to constant clenching and chewing.
• Dull headaches.

You should contact a bruxism dentist near your location if you identify any of the signs and symptoms of bruxism mentioned above. If your child displays signs and symptoms of bruxism, you must bring it up during your next dental appointment.

Teeth grinding and clenching may seem fairly harmless initially, but it can lead to severe complications. Untreated bruxism can lead to the following complications:

• Severe dental damage, to the extent that you need restorative dentistry options, such as crowns and bridges.
• Significant damages to your jaws and teeth.
• Damage to your dental work, including crowns, bridges, dentures, etc.
• Severe headaches.
• Severe facial pains.
• Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), a disorder originating in the temporomandibular joints located around your ears. You may hear a clicking or popping sound when you open or close your mouth, a common sign of TMD.

Narrowing down bruxism causes can be challenging because it can originate due to a combination of psychological, physical, and genetic factors. Awake bruxism usually occurs due to anxiety, frustration, tension, stress, and other psychological factors. Sleep bruxism often occurs due to physical or genetic factors related to the shape of your jaws or occlusal surfaces.

Dentists usually look for signs and symptoms of bruxism during regular dental checkups. If they identify any signs of bruxism, they may ask you to come for regular dental checkups for regular monitoring. Next, the dentist will narrow down potential bruxism causes by discussing your medications, lifestyle habits, daily routines, etc.

The dentist may also check for tenderness around the jaws, dental anomalies such as broken teeth, and other dental damages to the jaws or underlying bone structure. The dentist may also take x-rays or use other diagnostic procedures to determine the extent of dental damage caused by bruxism teeth grinding. Next, the dentist will discuss teeth grinding treatment options.