Archer Dental

Sleep Bruxism or Teeth Grinding

What is teeth grinding?

The formal name for teeth grinding is bruxism. This strange word was coined back in early 1900’s by Marie Pietkiewicz who referred to compulsive grinding of teeth as ‘la bruxomanie.’ Later, the term “bruxism” was adopted to describe the unconscious grinding of teeth. Bruxism belongs to the category of behaviors that are called “parafunctional”, like tooth tapping, biting cheeks and lips, biting fingernails, and tongue thrusting.

There are two forms of teeth grinding: sleep bruxism and wake-time bruxism. Although the two forms are not mutually exclusive, they are two distinct disorders. But today we are going to focus on sleep bruxism, and this one is harder to identify and control.

What is sleep bruxism?

Sleep bruxism is a rhythmic, repetitive, and involuntary activity of the muscles of the jaw, which happen during sleep. Bruxism creates forceful contact between the biting surfaces of the upper and lower teeth and often can produce some unpleasant sounds (you can listen to the sound here). There is also clenching, which is sustained and forceful tooth contact without any sideways jaw movements. On average, people who grind their teeth do so at least two to four times per hour of sleep. When grinding reaches this level of frequency, it gets diagnosed as a sleep disorder. Surprisingly, 60% of the population exhibits a mild chewing-like activity during sleep, but it’s not classified as sleep bruxism—it’s actually a psychological sleep related movement. 

Every dentist knows, that bruxism is a nightmare to deal with, because any beautiful restorative work can be rapidly destroyed by teeth grinding. In most cases, sleep bruxism is “just” teeth grinding during sleep.However, it’s worth to note, that it can be a symptom of other disorders, which require further diagnosis and treatment. To name some of these: obstructive sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux, restless leg syndrome, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), sleep-related epilepsy, autism, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD)

General dentistry

Why we grind our teeth

To this day, doctors can not pinpoint the direct cause of sleep bruxism. It is very likely, that psychological factors play an important role, but these findings are inconclusive. Some doctors believe, that people who grind their teeth tend to be more sensitive to stress and anxiety.

One thing we know so far, is that bruxism is centrally regulated, meaning that it’s a sleep disturbance that originates in the central nervous system, and it’s not triggered or controlled by peripheral factors in the mouth, like a blockage of some sort, or tooth contacts. We also know it’s not caused by an infectious disease, which is what people used to think, nor is it a tic or reaction triggered by improperly fixed dental prostheses.

Sleep bruxism occurs in almost 10% of general population. Children and adolescents seem to be affected more often (up to 40% of 11 year-olds experience teeth grinding). Elderly population seems to be less affected, down to 3% but this statistics is not conclusive, because elders might be missing teeth or have no partners to report tooth grinding sound. Symptoms related to bruxism can vary over time, for example, a person can grind their teeth with higher frequency in some periods of life, and grind less in others.

What are the signs of teeth grinding or sleep bruxism?

The signs and symptoms of teeth grinding are not always obvious.

Abnormal teeth wear, sore jaw muscles, morning headaches, overtrained jaw muscles all point to sleep bruxism. Bruxism can also lead to TMJ syndrome, damage in temporomandibular joints, which causes pain when opening/closing the mouth or chewing.

(On this image you can see severe teeth wear as a result of untreated sleep bruxism)

The signs don’t stop here. Some other indications are: neck pain, earache, hearing loss, ringing in the ears, inflammation of some salivary glands, periodical swelling and inflammation, and lastly, abnormal dryness of the mouth.

Not all of these symptoms are always present or even noticeable. Some people can be perfectly asymptomatic despite their intense grinding activity during sleep.

A common misconception is that the degree of teeth wear is directly related to the intensity/frequency of tooth grinding. But teeth wear is dependent on quality of enamel, saliva, acid intake, and the presence of gastro-esophageal reflux.

What to do if you think you are grinding teeth at night?

You might be one of the people, who keeps handing over thousands of dollars to the dentists, not knowing why your teeth keep cracking and fillings disintergrate so often. If your dentist told you that you might be grinding your teeth at night, he or she might be on to something. It’s hard to catch, because many people don’t exhibit the obvious symptoms, like having sore jaw in the morning, headaches. In fact, most people exhibit symptoms that are more subtle, but no less problematic to their long term wellbeing. 

The next logical step should be to get fitted for a night guard or a mouth guard. To most people, the thought of wearing a piece of acrylic in their mouth while sleeping is quite off-putting. That’s why we recommend getting a custom night guard from your dentist, because custom night guards are better fitted, more durable and more comfortable. Severe grinding can really damage teeth in the long term, result in tooth loss and affect your jaws, it can cause or worsen TMJ disorder and even alter the appearance of your facial structure.

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    Sleep bruxism occurs in almost 10% of general population. Children and adolescents seem to be affected more often (up to 40% of 11 year-olds experience teeth grinding).

    Dentist for bruxism in Chicago

    If you suspect that you might grind your teeth at night, talk to us. Our bruxism dentist in Chicago will check your for wear and examine your temporomandibular joints and jaw muscles for signs of bruxism. If you are looking for a dentist near 60632, 60639 or 60629 Archer Dental is at your service.

    Unfortunately, there is no one simple cure to stop someone from grinding. There are, however, some treatment options to reduce the side effects of bruxism and save your teeth in the long run. Because if bruxism is left untreated, it can result in a number of problems. First of all, if teeth are suffering and wearing out, grinding can destroy enamel, crowns, fillings and prostheses. Over time, teeth may loosen. Jaw pain can become chronic and more difficult to manage over time.

    Contact Us

    Please know that you can always contact our dental team by calling 773-581-1345, making an appointment through the contact form, or stopping by the Archer Dental Chicago office at 5200 S Archer Ave, Ste #3,  Chicago, IL 60632.

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      Monday - Thursday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
      Friday 09:00 AM - 4:30 PM
      Saturday 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

    Frequently asked questions

    What is bruxism or teeth grinding?

    Bruxism (also called teeth grinding) is a condition in which a patient grinds or clenches their teeth. It can happen during the day, when a person unknowingly clenches their teeth (awake bruxism) or during the night, when the person clenches or grinds during sleep (sleep bruxism). Sleep bruxism is considered to be one of the sleep-related movement disorders, which include: restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, sleep-related leg cramps, sleep-related rhythmic movement disorder, among others.

    Is grinding bad for my health?

    Nearly one in ten people grind their teeth, and most don’t even realize they do it. Teeth grinding can be very harmful to our health, create problems with teeth, increase tooth wear, aggravate tmj disorder, increase frequency of headaches, produce neck and facial pain and more. Also teeth grinding can indicate presence of other health problems, even psychological. In this article we will discuss how to find out if you grind your teeth in sleep and why it’s a problem you shouldn’t ignore.

    What is a night guard?

    Night guard is a small piece of plastic/acrylic that is designed to fit around your teeth during sleep. They are usually made from clear plastic. Night guards are designed to be comfortable during the 8 hours of sleep, they must stay in place and not fall out. Patients who grind during the night will benefit from using a night guard, because it will help protect their teeth from grinding away and hurting the enamel.

    Why do I need to use a Night Guard?

    Wearing a night guard if you have bruxism will help you to:

    1. Prevent damage. Due to the forces exerted during grinding and clenching, teeth can start to flatten, over time exposing dentin and nerves. This can lead to sensitivity when you eat or drink. If the problem is not addressed, you could end up with gum recession and your teeth may start to loosen. When you use a night guard, your upper and lower teeth will be protected from grinding potential damage will be avoided.

    2. Reduce discomfort. Sleep bruxism can cause severe headaches and tooth pain the following day. If you notice that you wake up in pain or feel uncomfortable, this can be a sign that you need to wear a guard while sleeping. At Archer Dental, we have noted that many of our current patients who wear a night guard start to feel better when they wake up.

    3. Treat TMJ. Some severe cases of grinding or jaw clenching can lead to TMJ disorder. It is critical that you address TMJ early by calling your bruxism or teeth grinding dentist in Chicago. We will fir you with a comfortable night guard to prevent your teeth from clenching or grinding in your sleep.

    Dental glossary

    Bruxism

    Bruxism is a condition in which person grinds their teeth or clenches jaws. Symptoms commonly associated with bruxism are: hypersensitive teeth, aching jaw muscles, headaches, tooth wear.

    Dentin hypersensitivity

    Dentin hypersensitivity is a pain response to a various stimuli (touch, temperature, pressure). It occurs when dentin is exposed or tooth enamel is worn down.

    Malocclusion

    Malocclusion is a medical term for poor teeth alignment and bite. Malocclusion can lead to serious oral health complications.

    Occlusal splint

    Occlusal splint is a specially designed mouth guard prescribed for people who have bruxism or problems with temporomandibular joint.

    Sleep disorder

    Sleep disorder is an umbrella term for changes in sleeping patterns that can affect health negatively. Bruxism is third most common form of sleep disorder right after sleeptalking and snoring.

    Temporomandibular joint

    Preventive dentistry focuses on maintaining oral health in order to prevent the spread tooth decay and infections in the mouth.

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