A Stressful Condition: Clenching & Grinding
Sometimes people exposed to chronic stress or high-pressure situations
can develop a damaging habit known as bruxism: unconsciously biting down
with too much force at non-mealtimes. It can happen at night or during
the day, is generally found in about one third of the population, and
is more prevalent amongst women. The inappropriate tendency to constantly
clench or grind the teeth may be related to poor stress management, since
bruxers are often those personality types who react to stress with anger,
pain, frustration, aggression, or competition. Or sometimes it's a conscious
attempt to force the upper and lower teeth to touch at all times. People
with bruxism may have other 'biting' habits as well: such as biting fingernails,
pencils, lips, or the insides of their cheeks. In any case, it’s
a harmful habit that wears down biting surfaces, causes bite imbalances,
and can lead to serious dental problems.
A Solid Solution: Protection & Rest
Since bruxers are often unaware of their habit, Dr. Holland evaluates
all our patients for the problem, checking for fractured or chipped teeth,
excessively worn or flat teeth, worn enamel, unexplained tooth or gum
sensitivity, jaw pain, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, popping and
clicking jaws, tense muscles, headaches, partially exposed and sensitive
tooth interior (dentin), and/or tongue indentations. Severe bruxism can
even lead to a dislocated jaw!
If you're a bruxer, we can do several things to help break the habit,
treat the pain, and eliminate further damage to your teeth and oral structures.
First, we can take an impression for a hard acrylic 'physiologic night-guard'
appliance, carefully fitted to protect the teeth and allow the jaw muscles
to rest. Often, this stops the trigger mechanism that initiates the unconscious
clenching and grinding. Sometimes, wearing the guard will eliminate the
problem. If not, we can do further examination to determine the cause,
while in the meantime advising continuous wearing of the guard to spare
the teeth from further damage.
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