Are You Grinding Your Teeth in Your Sleep?
Bruxism
Bruxism is an excessive clenching or grinding of the teeth, that is not a part of normal chewing movements. It can lead to excessive wear on the teeth and may cause permanent damage to the teeth and the jaw joints. Excessive clenching and grinding is not a normal, healthy action for the jaws. People typically have no conscious control over this excessive clenching and grinding, particularly when it occurs during sleep.
Function of an Occlusal Splint
An occlusal splint is an aid to stop clenching and grinding of teeth especially while sleeping.
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The occlusal splint is made of hard plastic, similar to a plastic denture, that covers the grinding surface of the teeth. It greatly reduces muscle strain of the musculature of the face, as over closure of your mouth cannot happen, with the layer of plastic between the teeth.
The cause of the bruxism (grinding) should be investigated, as sometimes a change in lifesyle is all that is required (such as no caffiene at night, less alcohol, less smoking, not using computers in bed, no TV in bedroom). All of these lifestyle habits stimulate the brain into becoming overactive. Work routines, poor eating habits, bad posture and a lifestyle type of continual annoyance (such as not enjoying your work or even a need for new bed) should be investigated.
The grinding of teeth at night ( Nocturnal Bruxism ) is often a result of exaggerated muscular activity, beyond the patient's control, which can lead to excessive wearing of the teeth, jaw joint problems and tension headaches. The treatment can be as straightforward as a simple bite plate, or 'occlusal splint', worn at night time.
It's not uncommon for people suffering from jaw joint (temporomandibular joint or TMJ) disorders to first consult a medical practitioner with complaints of pain, usually on one side of the face and neck. In some cases, the pain is extremely intense and may be located just in front of the ear, making eating painful and difficult. Frequently the sufferer is unable to open his/her jaw wide enough to insert normal amounts of food - instead, the food has to be cut up into tiny portions.
Diagnosis can be difficult, as the associated pain may not be restricted to the area of the joint but may be referred to almost any part of the head and neck. Other complaints include constant or repeated headaches, clicking in the jaw joints, apparent attacks of migraine and even the symptoms of a toothache. Neck pains from TMJ disorders may initially be attributed to something else altogether.
How Do The Problems Start?
The jaws are controlled by a very fine balance between many muscles and ligaments, which act in a coordinated manner. During various movements of the jaws, some muscles contract whilst simultaneously others expand. Sometimes, because of interference to the normal movement of the jaws (perhaps teeth contacting unusually, or a poorly fitting denture), the lower jaw deviates slightly and the muscles/ligaments are thrown out of balance. If this is repeated continuously, one or more of the muscles may go into spasm (like a cramp in a leg muscle) giving rise to severe pain. It is unlikely that the sufferer will be aware of the interference to their normal chewing patterns that have set off the muscle spasm, as this is likely to have developed slowly over many years.
Treating TMJ Problems & Headaches
Once the problem has been diagnosed, the pain can often be stopped very quickly, if the causative agents are eliminated. If the meshing of the teeth is at fault, careful grinding down of the offending area may achieve the required result. For instance the cusps and grooves on the upper back teeth should fit snugly into the corresponding depressions and peaks on the biting surfaces of the back teeth in the lower jaw. If this snug fit does not exist, the dentist may attempt to reshape these cusps to correct the bite. To do this, the dentist may first take impressions of the upper and lower jaws and make models of the teeth. These models are then mounted in a mechanical device, called an articulator, which simulates the movement of the patients jaw. By studying the models in this way, the dentist is able to determine where and how much reshaping should take place.
For many patients, it is necessary for the dentist to make a small plastic appliance, called an occlussal splint , which fits over the biting surfaces of the upper teeth. The appliance is usually worn at night. The occlusal splint has the effect of separating biting surfaces of the upper and lower jaw, thereby allowing the chewing muscles to relax. Once these relax the pain usually disappears. By eliminating night grinding in bruxers, the occlusal splint also helps maintain the integrity of the teeth.
TMJ stands for " temporomandibular joint ," or jaw joint. These are the small joints in front of each ear that attach the lower jaw to the skull, and are the most complex joints in the entire body. The TMJ is located bilaterally and anterior to both ears, and is regarded as an intricate network of bones, teeth, muscles, and nerves. Because of this, dysfunction of these joints affects many areas of the body, from the top of the head (migraine-like headaches) to numbness/tingling in the arms to pain in the neck or shoulders.
A TMJ disorder is a chronic degenerative disease affecting millions of people. The term is used to describe a wide range of related symptoms including:
People who suffer from TMJ disorders have an imbalance in the jaw-to-skull relationship, which is caused by a bad bite (malocclusion). People suffering from TMJ often report chronic pain in the jaw, teeth, face, head, neck, shoulders, back, or a combination of these areas. Snoring, grinding of teeth, frequent ear infections and restricted airway are other problems associated with TMJ/TMD.
What Causes TMJ / TMD?
In most cases, TMJ/TMD stems from a condition called malocclusion, which means having an "incorrect bite". Malocclusion is whereby the upper and lower teeth do not close together in the correct way - they are misaligned. This can occur naturally, or as a result of an accident or trauma.
When the teeth are misaligned, they cannot correctly support your facial muscles during chewing and swallowing. The muscles change to accommodate your malocclusion, causing a range of debilitating symptoms. Although a person's teeth may appear to be straight, it is the occlusal relationship (biting pattern) that can cause TMJ/TMD. This condition AND the symptoms can continue despite extensive orthodontic treatment.
Who Suffers from TMJ/TMD?
Millions of people are affected by this condition. Although women report more pain from the condition, TMJ/TMD in men has been shown to cause an equal amount of damage to the teeth, gums, bones and joints.
Children are especially sensitive to developing TMJ/TMD and usually show early signs with ear infections; leaning their head on an arm; lip or cheek biting/chewing; finger sucking; headaches; snoring; grinding of their teeth at night; and frequent chewing of gum.