What is Bruxism and How is it Treated?

We treat bruxism in our clinic. While bruxism is a condition that many people are not familiar with, anyone who has it is likely to be suffering from a variety of symptoms that include:

• Jaw pain
• Difficulty opening the mouth due to soreness or pain
• Headaches
• Facial pain or discomfort
• Neck pain
• Sore teeth
• Damaged teeth

If these are symptoms that you are struggling with, we encourage you to call our clinic and schedule an appointment for an examination. We can determine if you do indeed have bruxism and provide treatment at our clinic.

What is bruxism?

Typically, we characterize this condition by a person grinding or clenching the teeth excessively. The individual will generally grind his or her teeth at night, when asleep. However, teeth grinding can also occur during the day involuntarily. Since most people grind or clench their teeth only at night, it can be difficult for them to realize they have the condition. Other than the symptoms that present themselves the next morning, few people realize it is an issue.

This condition does not impact a person’s ability to eat or function normally unless it is so severe that it is causing significant teeth or jaw pain. Before that happens though, there are warning signs that indicate it is time to seek treatment. For this reason, we recommend visiting a dentist quickly rather than waiting until the discomfort is so severe that it begins to negatively influence a person’s lifestyle.

Health risk

In addition to making it uncomfortable for a person to fully open their jaw, making it likely a person will suffer headaches and general soreness, there are health risks associated with bruxism. Primarily, as teeth are grinding at night, it can cause them to become weak and brittle. Teeth can become chipped or cracked as a result.

Many people who have this condition end up struggling with damaged teeth that require dental restorations. In this case, it is possible for us to restore damaged teeth using solutions like dental bonding or crowns, however, if a person does not stop grinding and clenching their teeth, these restorations could become damaged as well.

The solution

To prevent this dental damage and to decrease or eliminate the discomfort our patients are feeling, we can treat this condition using a noninvasive night guard. This guard is created based on the specific measurements of the patient’s mouth to ensure that it remains securely in place when sleeping.

When worn, this guard prevents the upper and lower teeth from touching. This ensures that they cannot grind or clench during sleep. While simple, this is an incredibly effective solution.

Learn more

If you are struggling with any of the common symptoms associated with bruxism such as jaw pain and headaches, we encourage you to schedule an appointment with our clinic so that we can determine if this is indeed an issue and begin the process of providing you with a night guard that can help to stop the discomfort.