Bruxism (Teeth Grinding): Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors & Treatments

Did you notice excessive teeth grinding in yourself or your loved ones? If yes, then it might be a case of bruxism. It is a condition in which patients grind or clench their teeth uncontrollably and too often. Untreated bruxism can cause harm to your teeth, jaw muscles, and TMJ. However, it is easily curable through advanced orthodontic treatments and therapies. Read on to gain more information.

What are the Types of Bruxism (Teeth Grinding)?

1. Awake Bruxism: Clenching the jaw and teeth in the daytime is known as awake bruxism. It generally happens due to some mental pressure, anxiety, or anger.
2. Sleep Bruxism or Night Bruxism: Clenching and grinding teeth in sleep is known as sleep bruxism. Generally, you are unaware of the clenching and the kind of force you apply to your teeth while asleep. Therefore, this is a more severe condition.

What are the Symptoms of Bruxism?

It’s possible that you don’t know about your grinding of teeth in your sleep. In that case, you can look for the following symptoms of teeth grinding:-

1. Locking, popping, or clicking of the jaw with sound.
2. Loud enough clinching of teeth to wake you up.
3. Wear & tear of your teeth.
4. Sleep disruption.
5. Pain in the teeth and jaw while eating.
6. The deeper layer of teeth is exposed due to enamel erosion.
7. Painful, sensitive, and loose teeth.
8. Fracture in teeth.
9. Pain in the facial part or headaches in the morning.
10. TMJ (Temporomandibular joint) disorder.
11. Pain in the ears.
12. Pain in the jaw muscles.

What are the Different Causes of Bruxism?

There are different causes of bruxism. Some of the leading causes are as follows:-

1. Unhealthy Lifestyle Habit: Teeth grinding can also be the result of bad lifestyle habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, doing drugs, and consuming excessive caffeine. These habits adversely disrupt your brain and cardiovascular activities.
2. Sleep Disorders: Brain activity during sleep, like dreaming and sleep disorders, are the culprit in many sleep bruxism cases. Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders, causing sleep bruxism.
3. Emotional Tension: Emotional stress, like anxiety, tension, anger, and frustration, causes both sleep and awake bruxism. Some people are used to teeth grinding when they are trying to concentrate.
4. Medications: Medications can also trigger bruxism. One of them is serotonin reuptake inhibitors. It’s an anti-anxiety drug. Other antidepressants like paroxetine and fluoxetine can also lead to teeth grinding.
5. Stressful State of Mind: If you are stressed, anxious, or angry most of the time, you are at risk of grinding teeth at night or day.
6. Young ChildrenBruxism is common in kids. 2 or 3 kids in every 10 kids suffer from teeth grinding. Usually, this condition goes away when your kids grow up. But you should take them to your dentist if you notice any symptoms.
7. Personality Type: Hyperactive, aggressive, and competitive individuals are more likely to get bruxism. This is because emotional tension is one of its triggers.
8. Medication, Drugs, & Substance Abuse: If you are addicted to recreational drugs, smoking, and drinking alcohol, you are at a high risk of getting bruxism. Taking antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications also increases your risk.
9. Family History: If anyone in your family has a history of teeth grinding or clenching the jaw, you are more likely to get it. Bruxism is often passed on in inheritance.
10. Mental Disorders: Mental disorders like dementia, reflux disorder, Parkinson’s disease, and epilepsy can lead to grinding teeth in sleep.

How Do Doctors Diagnose Teeth Grinding?

Bruxism can be diagnosed based on your symptoms and physical assessment. However, sometimes, your healthcare professional might suggest a sleep study to reach a definitive conclusion. It is done in a sleep centre with the help of advanced equipment.

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How to Treat Bruxism (Teeth Grinding)?

1. Braces: If your teeth grinding is due to malocclusion, braces are a time-tested way to treat it. Braces apply gradual pressure on misaligned teeth to correct their position.
2. Invisalign: Invisalign does the same job as traditional braces, but they are virtually invisible to others. These are a set of custom-made, clear aligners which need to be changed every few weeks.
3. Nightguard: Hyperactive, aggressive, and competitive individuals are more likely to get bruxism. This is because emotional tension is one of its triggers.

The following are some other therapies that work as bruxism treatment:-

1. Stress Management: If stress is your reason for teeth grinding, you might get relief from managing your stress levels. It’s impossible to eliminate stress. But your negative response towards a stressful situation can be managed.
2. Medication: Clenching jaw and teeth can be controlled up to a certain extent with medications. These drugs help in reducing muscle activity. Botox is also used as a medication for severe cases of bruxism.

Conclusion

Orthodontic and other advanced treatments either cure teeth grinding or help in minimizing its symptoms. In modern science, there are various approaches to treat issues like bruxism depending on its root cause. Therefore, you should seek medical attention as soon as you suspect bruxism.