Grinding
Grinding
"Bruxism" is the term dentists use to describe the habit that many people have of grinding their teeth together. Most commonly it happens during sleep when the person gnashes, grates, grinds or clenches their teeth. Bruxism is a relatively common habit which may occur in about 15 percent of the population.
Although the exact cause of the habit is not known, there seems to be a link between bruxing and periods of stress in your life. Most people report that the habit comes and goes and often it can be linked to major life events like moving to a different or new house, changing jobs, relationship problems ... and other things that bug us. Bruxism patients seem to be more anxious by nature. There is also a theory that bruxism occurs because of some irregularity in your bite ('occlusion'), and the habit is your subconscious way to grind down the offending tooth that is out of position. This theory has not been conclusively shown to be the sole cause of bruxism. Alcohol intake may also aggravate the condition.
Grinding can also be relatively common in children as young as five and may be associated with problems at school or at home. Some children also 'brux' when they are getting their adult teeth and this may be caused by teething discomfort. Thankfully, the habit usually disappears as quickly as it started.
To know if you grind or not, ask the other people in your household about it. If you do brux, your partner will probably be report that you do make grating or grinding noises in your sleep that may even be loud enough to wake them up!
Other signs of grinding include: waking up in the morning with sore jaws, headaches or migraine-like soreness which seem to come from the side of the temple or behind the eyes, damaged or worn teeth or fillings, damaged gums or jawbone, aches in your jaw joints (which are in front of your ears), muscle spasms and soreness on the side of your face, top of your head or around your jaws, tiredness, anxiety or stress.
Appointment not necessary for people in pain.
Call 519-679-Dove (3683).