Because grinding often occurs during sleep, most people are unaware that they grind their teeth. However, a dull, constant headache or sore jaw is a tell-tale symptom of bruxism. Many times people learn that they grind their teeth by their loved one who hears the grinding at night.
If you suspect you may be grinding your teeth, talk to your dentist. He or she can examine your mouth and jaw for signs of bruxism, such as jaw tenderness and abnormalities in your teeth.
Why Is Teeth Grinding Harmful?
In some cases, chronic teeth grinding can result in a fracturing, loosening, or loss of teeth. The chronic grinding may wear their teeth down to stumps. When these events happen, bridges, crowns, root canals, implants, partial dentures, and even com-plete dentures may be needed.
Not only can severe grinding damage teeth and result in tooth loss, it can also affect your jaws, result in hearing loss, cause or worsen pain in the joint between upper and lower jaw and even change the appearance of your face.
Help for Bruxism
There are a number of ways to treat Bruxism. The aim of treatment is to alleviate pain, prevent permanent damage to teeth and change teeth clenching behaviours as much as possible.
If you suspect that you may be suffering from Bruxism you should consult your dentist. The dentist would most likely recommend a mouth guard to prevent teeth grinding together.
Solutions for Bruxism include surgery but only recommended in extreme cases. Medications administered to treat this condition are usually muscle relaxants or mild sleeping aids.
