“What? I don’t grind my teeth…?” This is an answer I often hear to a very common problem I see, especially nowadays. Let’s clarify things.
Teeth grinding and/or clenching is a sub-concious activity, meaning people are usually doing it without realizing it, whether it’s during the day while awake or at night during sleep. I’ve had patients who do it while sleeping, or while driving or working during the day. It’s very much tied to our daily stress levels–when people are stressed (and most people are nowadays!), they are more likely to grind/clench the teeth. A previously published California Dental Association Journal in May 2010 confirmed the connection to daily stress, and found that no specific age group, education level, or gender were found to be at higher risk for night grinding. These people are also apt to be more anxious and avoid conflict when faced with problems.
If this activity continues, short-term and long-term effects can be numerous. In the short-term, you may feel a lot of muscle tension of the jaws/neck/shoulders, headaches/migraines, and a general throbbing or soreness of the teeth. Often times, people think they have a big cavity or a tooth infection, when in fact, the cause of the pain is teeth grinding. In the long run, you can grind your teeth down to little stumps, have jaw joint problems, chip or crack your teeth, then requiring some major dental work (fillings, crowns, root canals, etc.).
So what can be done, from a dental standpoint? Obviously, it’s hard to completely rid our lives of stress. I think we can all benefit dentally and medically by finding healthy outlets to channel stress, whether it’s yoga, reading, exercising, spending time with loved ones, etc. A regular dental exam is important for identifying potential signs symptoms of teeth grinding or clenching, as most people are unaware that they are even doing it.
If necessary, we recommend nightguards to protect our teeth, muscles, and joints. A nightguard is a device that simply covers the chewing surfaces of the teeth to remove that harmful tooth-to-tooth action, and helps ease the jaw into a more relaxed position, reducing muscular activity. There are over-the-counter as well as professionally-made custom nightguards. Ask us which is right for you. If you already have a nightguard, be sure to get it checked periodically as you may eventually wear through it.
Have any questions or topics you’d like answered? Get in touch with us! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news.
Smiles,
Vivian Tang, D.D.S.