Teeth Grinding
Most people suffer from teeth grinding, medically referred to as bruxism by which it can be defined as the grinding, clenching, or gnashing of the teeth. This can cause no harm as long as it is not done in a regular basis. Anyone can be a victim of bruxism, kids and adults alike. Most people unconsciously grind their teeth during sleep, especially kids. Kids usually have this due to misaligned teeth and even teething. As kids, they also suffer from stress, whether it be in school or family. However, adults do grind their teeth when under a great deal of stress. If teeth grinding worsens, it can lead to a lot of complications like damaged teeth, jaw problems, biting problems, and even headache. Once these complications or symptoms start, only then can a person be diagnosed with bruxism since, again, it is an unconscious action that mostly occurs during sleep. With this in mind, it can be important to know the signs and that you might have bruxism and its causes.
Aside from those mentioned above, possible causes of bruxism are alcohol and drug use, probably because one doesnt have enough control of his own body when sedated. Since bruxism is regarded as a sleep disorder, doctors have considered some psychological factors related to it aside from stress. Unexpressed anger and frustration can result to teeth grinding during sleep. Also, people who seem to have a hyperactive personality can be a victim of bruxism.
The signs that you have bruxism are the symptoms as well. Because again, you will never really know you suffer from it unless there are mild to severe complications already. If you have been told by your partner that you have been grinding your teeth during sleep, you might want to visit a dentist to check for other signs. Teeth grinding can manifest when teeth seem chipped or flattened, also if a part of your tooth is exposed. You may also notice that your teeth are more sensitive and there is pain in your jaw and jaw muscles. If you wake up with headache or facial pain, chances are, you suffer from bruxism.
With kids, a parent or sibling may notice grinding noises while sleeping, thumb sucking, biting on fingers and/or toys, and as far biting the insides of the cheek.
Most kids outgrow bruxism by the time their adult teeth develop. For adults, however, lifestyle change is needed or in worst cases, therapy.
You may help treat your kids bruxism by calming and lulling him to sleep. You may also have to find out what your kid is stressing about and try to talk it over.
If you are already aware that you may be suffering from bruxism, you may want to keep stress levels at a minimum. Give your partner the right to wake you up once he/she hears teeth grinding. Try to reduce eating food that can cause you to be hyperactive like caffeine and chocolate. Alcohol must also be avoided. If you notice that you grind during the day, you might want to train your jaw muscles to relax. Do not chew on anything aside from food because the more you chew, the more you get used to grinding.
Treatment with the help of professionals for adults includes therapy, mouth guards, biofeedback training, meditation and tooth repair. A person might want to seek the help of a counselor to aid her in stress management. A dentist might also advise you to fix misaligned teeth or to reconstruct the damaged teeth brought about by teeth grinding. In milder cases, a dentist might just prepare a custom-fit mouth guard for you; over-the-counter mouth guards dont fit well all the time and gets dislocated during sleep. In some cases, the doctor might suggest that you take muscle relaxant medicine before bedtime. Meditation can also help in treating bruxism.
Biofeedback involves a device that alerts the person when teeth grinding occurs. One example is a sensory device that alerts the person wearing the matching earpiece when teeth come together in a certain pressure that the person has set. Biofeedback helps in measuring bodily functions and other unconscious physiological activities. Whats nice about biofeedback is that the patient is made aware of what is happening in ones body and in this way, he can make a conscious step in adjusting his lifestyle. Take note that biofeedback is not a cure; it is a method to help the person be aware of whats going on and doing something about it.
