Dental Health Topics

While occasional teeth grinding does not usually cause harm, when it happens frequently, teeth can be damaged and other complications can arise.

STRESS is a huge factor when it comes to bruxing. In fact, the mouth can show stress before any other area of the body. The more stress, the more bruxing and the harder the bruxing.

Some possible signs and complications of bruxism are:

• Wearing of Teeth - which occurs from movement of the teeth harshly against one another.
• Breaking of Teeth - especially at the edges of front teeth and the cusps or corners of back teeth.
• Sensitive Teeth - usually a generalized soreness and/or cold sensitivity.
• Receeding gums and/or teeth with gum line “notches”

Not everyone has all these problems, and some of these signs take time (usually decades) to materialize.

What should you do about bruxism?
There is not a single cause for bruxism and consequently not a single solution. For a large number of people, the problem is a misaligned bite. Through a series of physiological signals, this triggers a dramatic increase in the amount of bruxing.

If you feel you may be grinding or clenching, please schedule an appointment with your dentist. They would be able to diagnose the reasons and propose some solutions. Options could range from working to reduce stress to helping you procure a mouth guard or an occlusal guard.