Most doctors agree that there are actually several different things that can potentially cause teeth grinding. The medical name for teeth grinding is bruxism, and some of the things that might cause it include stress, suppressed anger, bad tooth alignment, and hyperactivity. Some other possible causes include a nervous reaction to chronic pain, or a reaction to certain medications, including anti-depressants. Some personality types also seem to have a tendency towards teeth grinding, including people who commonly exhibit aggressive behavior.
Many people with teeth grinding problems never even realize it. It's fairly common for the condition to be asymptomatic, especially in cases where it is relatively mild. A lot of people do most of their teeth grinding at night, and they may experience symptoms during the day without knowing what is causing them. Someone who does it during the day is generally much more likely to realize she has a problem.
Teeth grinding can have a lot of diverse symptoms. One of the most common things a person may notice would be a pain in the jaw area or a severe earache. These symptoms occur because the individual is overworking his jaw muscles. A person may also end up with over-sized jaw muscles for the same reason. Eventually, people may notice that the surfaces of their teeth are rapidly wearing down, and some individuals have severe pain in their faces that won't go away.
One of the first things many dentists will try is giving a patient a mouth guard, which can protect the surface of the teeth. This is especially helpful for people who primarily grind their teeth while sleeping. Some people also try counseling to reduce stress, or they may even take muscle-relaxing medications. Cutting back on caffeine and other ingredients that cause hyperactivity can also potentially be helpful. Since teeth grinding is generally an unconscious action, indirect approaches to treatment are often more successful.
People with mild teeth grinding problems may never have any serious complications, but more severe cases can have some generally unpleasant consequences. For starters, it can permanently damage a person's teeth to the point where dentures may be required. This doesn’t happen very often, but it’s relatively common for people to require crowns or other dental work. Teeth grinding can also lead to insomnia, and it may be related to temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), which is a fairly unpleasant chronic pain condition.
Many people grind and clench their teeth as they sleep. This tendency can lead to a number of negative consequences, such as wearing of the teeth, headaches, and jaw pain, which can carry over into waking life. Luckily, these unpleasant problems can often be reduced with the use of a teeth grinding guard, a crescent-shaped insert which is placed around the teeth at bedtime to discourage grinding during sleep. There are two mains types of teeth grinding guards: over-the-counter guards and custom-made guards. Determining which model is best may depend upon one’s budget combined with the severity of one’s grinding problem.
Medical researchers do not fully understand what causes some people to grind their teeth during sleep. It is understood, however, that prolonged grinding can cause extensive wear to the teeth. Additionally, it can lead to constant headaches and jaw pain, each which can negatively affect one’s waking life. In order to discourage grinding, many dental experts recommend using a teeth grinding guard.
Essentially, a teeth grinding guard is a crescent of semi-soft, nontoxic material which is placed over the upper teeth at bedtime. The guard makes the jaws less mobile, discouraging grinding during sleep. Additionally, as it is made from a material which is softer than bone, it prevents the wear that occurs when the upper and lower teeth are ground directly against each other.
There are two main types of teeth grinding guards: over-the-counter models and custom-made models. As its name suggests, an over-the-counter teeth grinding guard can be purchased without medical consultation. It is made from a soft, acrylic material which must be submerged in boiling water after purchase. After submersion, the guard is placed over the teeth and gently bitten into. This process makes an impression of the teeth on the guard so that it fits snugly into the mouth.
Over-the-counter teeth grinding guards are usually very inexpensive, which can make them a good choice for those with a limited budget. Despite the fact that they can be impressed with the teeth’s shape, however, their “one-size-fits all” quality can make them too long or too wide for some people’s mouths. These sizing issues can make over-the-counter guards uncomfortable and difficult to wear.
A custom-made teeth grinding guard is made from impressions of the teeth which are taken by one’s dentist. These impressions are used to make a mold, from which the guard is then formed. The precision and personalization of this method allow for the creation of a guard which fits the mouth exactly. As a result, after an initial adjustment period, a custom guard is usually comfortable to wear, and thus may be more effective than an over-the-counter model. A major disadvantage of custom-made guards, however, is that they can be very costly.