Teeth grinding is clinically referred to as bruxism. Simply defined, it is the act of consciously or unconsciously clenching your teeth either during the day or while you sleep. Bruxism is considered both a medical and a dental problem. This is because it affects both the teeth and all of the structure near it, including the head.
The Causes Of Teeth Grinding
Teeth grinding is a medical condition wherein a person unconsciously clenches his or her teeth, usually while asleep.Teeth grinding or bruxism, is not merely a habit. In fact, it is a condition that is currently being addressed by today's medicine. Doctors believe that bruxism is caused by a number of factors. Here are five examples of the common causes of teeth grinding.
1. Stress
Stress is the most common reason for bruxism. Most doctors suppose that stress is the primary cause of teeth grinding during sleep. Stress can disrupt a person's sleeping cycle. If a particular sleeping pattern is disrupted, the person ends up clenching their teeth unconsciously and intermittently during sleep. This is where a lot of researchers are currently focusing on, as this explanation is the one most common.
2. Frustration and suppressed anger
There are many instances that a person clenches his fist or teeth if he is very angry with somebody or something. Many psychologists believe that this is the reason why people clench their teethduring the day. Suppressed anger is wrath a person can't let out. This can be quite hard to manage. People who end up grinding their teeth in frustration or anger should consult with a qualified psychiatrist to address the problem.
3. Aggressive personality
This factor causing bruxism is related to anger and frustration. Just like the former reason, this one also deals with one's emotions. But unlike suppressed anger, aggressiveness is expressed anger. In this case, the person lets out all his frustration and anger towards the intended subject. This person may unconsciously grind their teeth in the process.
4. Abnormal alignment of teeth
The abnormal alignment of the upper and lower teeth is referred to as malocclusion. This is one of the physical causes of teeth grinding.Dental experts believe that if there is something abnormal about the structure of a person's teeth, they grind involuntarily against each other as they make contact. While this is another feasible cause of bruxism, it is yet to be confirmed with clinical studies.
5. Growth development of the teeth and jaws.
This is the common reason of bruxism in children. For kids 7 years old and under, their teeth are still in their growing stages. There are a lot of instances where the actual growing of the teeth causes itchiness in the gum area, causing kids to grind their teeth. Teeth grinding becomes the body's response to the changes happening in the jaws and the teeth.
It may also happen that as the teeth grow, the upper and lower molars don't fit together. In an attempt to make them fit comfortably with one another, teeth grinding occurs. Bruxism in children may not be very common. However, they usually outgrow this condition as their teeth improve in structure over time.
6. A complication of another disease
There are studies showing that bruxism can be caused by another disease, such as Parkinson's disease or Huntington disease. Parkinson's disease is the degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, which affects the person's motor skills. Huntington's disease, on the other hand, is a neurological disorder that is characterized by lack of movement coordination. People suffering from any of these two disorders are likely to grind their teeth either during the day or at night.
7. Drugs and medications.
Several studies are being conducted to check whether certain drugs used to treat depression, as well as other similar psychiatric medications, could be the causes of bruxism. The results are yet to be published, but a lot of doctors are suspecting that these types of drugs can trigger teeth grinding.
The Symptoms Of Teeth Grinding
Teeth grinding is a health condition not all people are aware of. Some regard it as merely a habit when in fact it is a medical concern that people should address. Teeth grinding is clinically referred to as Bruxism. Using a doctor's definition, bruxism is the unconscious grinding of one's teeth, which could happen during the day or at night. This condition usually occurs when one is too tense or anxious about something.
Bruxism or teeth grinding have different signs and symptoms. Here are the indicators that a person is suffering from bruxism:
1. Intense clenching of teeth enough to wake up somebody.
This is the main symptom of bruxism. Most of the time, the patients who have this problem clench their teeth involuntarily and without their knowledge. Teeth clenching usually happens at night although it may happen during the day as well.
2. Flattened, worn down, and chipped teeth.
When it comes to bruxism, it is always the teeth that sustain all the damage. To check if you suffer from this condition, try to inspect your teeth for any irregular damage. If there's any, consult your dentist about it so he can verify it.
3. Worn teeth enamels.
People with bruxism usually have exposed teeth. This is because their teeth enamel had eventually worn out because of their habit. If you suspect that you have bruxism, make it a point to visit your dentist regularly to make sure your teeth enamels are healthy.
4. Sensitive teeth
Most of the symptoms of bruxism are concentrated on the teeth. More than half of people who have bruxism have sensitive teeth. They feel extensive pain in their gums when their teeth are subjected to something very cold or very hot.
5. Pain and tightness in the jaws and its muscles.
The damages associated to bruxism are concentrated on the mouth area. And even if you can observe most of the damage on the teeth, the pain is always on the jaws. Severe bruxism could strain the muscles in these parts.
6. Instances of earaches.
Earaches due to bruxism are not caused by the deficient structures inside the person's ear at all. The earaches are primarily caused by the contraction of the jaw muscles. Bruxism is not directly related to hearing problems. It just so happen that when the jaws move constantly and involuntarily the muscle that connects to the ear suffers as well.
7. Headaches.
People who have bruxism may also suffer from chronic headaches. This is still due to muscles contraction, very similar to the case of earaches. The headaches are usually mild to minor, which can be slept off or treated with an aspirin.
8. Facial pains.
Aside from earaches and headaches, facial pains are also common with people suffering from bruxism. Although it is the mouth area that is most affected here, every irregular movement of the jaws and teeth affects all the muscular structures near it. And that includes the whole area of the face. Pains in the facial muscles are very common with people suffering from bruxism.
9. Damaged cheek tissue.
Whenever the teeth grind with each other, the possibility of the cheek tissues getting in their way is high. This usually happen during the night, when the head of the person who suffers is in a sideway position. Cheek wounds may also be apparent.
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