| Robert S. Gurmankin, DMD |
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 People who grind their teeth while sleeping, a condition also known as sleep-related bruxism, often don't realize it until a bed partner mentions it. Signs of bruxism include: - Frequent awakenings during the night- sometimes perceived by the individual as insomnia. - Headache or jaw ache upon arising. - Excessive wear on the surface of the teeth- Wear occurs from the movement of the teeth harshly against one another. Although all teeth may show this type wear, it is especially noticeable when a person has front teeth that appear to have the same length - as if they were filed down. - Grinding or tapping noises heard during sleep - Breaking of teeth- As teeth wear, the edges of front teeth and the cusps or corners of back teeth will begin to show microfractures or cracks. These cracks can not be seen on x-rays. It takes magnified vision and/or an intraoral magnified image to diagnose them. Where this becomes especially important, is that teeth with these type of fractures will either eventually chip, break a corner, or yet require root canal therapy. The reason for root canal therapy is that the fracture begins on the surface of the tooth and eventually deepens until the crack enters the area of the nerve. - Sensitive teeth- Usually a generalized soreness and/or a cold sensitivity. - Receding gums and/or teeth with gum line “notches”- Most people have been told or assume that receding gums occur because of age, using a hard bristle brush or the occurrence of gum (periodontal) disease. In fact none of these reasons are correct in many of the cases. These are referred to as abrasion areas. When teeth grind hard against each other year after year, they flex at the gum line and the enamel (which ends thinly at the gum line) microfractures away. The end result is an area at the gum line that you can catch your fingernail in and may get extremely sensitive to touch and/or cold. - Loose teeth- Teeth loosen because of the "rocking" back forth that occurs. The best analogy is the example of getting a fence post out of the ground by rocking it back and forth. - Periodontal pockets (loss of supporting bone around the teeth)- Sometimes instead of the tooth getting loose, there may be small areas of bone that are slowly lost - Bony ridges- Instead of losing bone support - some people actually form "extra" bone to support the teeth (this appears as bony ridges that can be seen and felt on the jaw bones as a smooth raised area about at the level of the roots. - Cheek irritation- A ridge or line of fibrosed (toughened) tissue on the inside of the cheek that corresponds to where the teeth come together. Sometimes a person will actually bite themselves along this line (especially in the most posterior molar area). - Sore muscles (especially in the cheek and temple area)- When these muscles are overused, they may get sore - just like when you over exercise, your other muscles get sore. - TMJ problems (jaw joint pain / soreness / etc.)- The jaw joint may be over loaded and resulting problems occur. These signs take time to show themselves. Some people who grind will show only a couple of these signs, others all of them. An estimated one in 5 adults unconsciously grind their teeth at night. Some people grind occasionally, some people grind every night. Those who grind often will probably experience some of the symptoms listed above. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of children grind their teeth in their sleep, a habit that decreases as they get older. There is no known cause of bruxism, although it is clear that stress is a major factor. In fact the mouth can show stress before any other area of the body. The more stress, the more bruxing and the harder the bruxing. Some feel that night grinding may be an unconscious effort to correct irregularities of the chewing surfaces of the teeth. We term this a malocclusion. They grind to eliminate a spot that is too high or to find a comfortable place to fit the upper and lower teeth together.What Can
Be Done To Stop Bruxing?
 If you have the symptoms of bruxism, let us know at your next visit. For most people, a custom made night guard can prevent tooth damage and relieve the tension on the jaw muscles.
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Disclaimer
All advice provided on this web site is in the nature of general advice only. The advice may not be applicable to your particular circumstances. You are therefore advised to seek detailed advice from a qualified dentist prior to embarking on any course of action. We can not accept liability for any treatment undertaken on the basis of this web site.