Bruxism - what is it
Uncontrolled grinding of teeth, resulting from spasms of the masticatory muscles. If you come across texts about the Carolini phenomenon, odonterism, “teeth grinding disease” - they are all about bruxism, and the names listed are synonyms of bruxism. Translated from ancient Greek, bruxism means grinding.
Dentists distinguish two types of this disease.
- Directly grinding, that is, the friction of the teeth against each other.
- Clanching is a static clenching of teeth that occurs without friction.
Bruxism is often chronic, causing discomfort to a person for many years. If left untreated, it results in complications: problems with the temporomandibular joint, chronic stress, and abrasion of tooth enamel.
It is necessary to distinguish between childhood and adult bruxism - they have many significant differences. Here we will look in detail at the course of this disease in adults. There is a separate article on childhood “teeth grinding disease”.
Night grinding of teeth.
A person does not realize that he grinds his teeth when he sleeps. Doesn't wake up from gritting her teeth and may not be aware of the problem at all. Only his relatives can talk about it.
Daytime teeth grinding.
This type of bruxism is already recognized by a person. But clenching of teeth occurs involuntarily and cannot be controlled. During daytime bruxism, a person feels discomfort, which causes periodic strong tension in the facial muscles.
About synonyms
Without words of synonyms in texts of various types, be it narration, reasoning, motivation, it is impossible to overcome the unjustified repetition of the same word. Also, the use of synonymous words instead of gritting one's teeth is used in literature as a way of connecting adjacent sentences in the text. In the stylistics of Russian literature, when presenting a text in writing, repetition of the same words is identified as a tautology and is a gross lexical error. Thus, when presenting the text at the initial stage, one of the keywords of the synonym is used, and later in the text synonyms that are suitable in meaning are used, revealing and enhancing the theme of the text for a broader presentation.
For example, the original word “gritting your teeth” is then, depending on the necessary applicability, replaced by forcing yourself to restrain yourself, patiently.
Do not forget that, in terms of their qualities, synonyms can be applied using the prefix “not” to words of antonyms, words of opposite meaning. At the same time, the lexical meaning of the formed antonym word with a prefix is not also characterized as a synonym.
The word is characterized by a synonym and polysemantic words that form a complex combination of words in their polysemy in the lexical meaning of one of the words of the proposed synonym in the context.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize what an important role synonyms play in people’s speech. The use of synonymous words and the ability to use additional resources in the form of dictionaries makes it possible not only to express one’s thoughts in an extremely accurate and varied manner, but also leads to the enrichment and saturation of our native Russian language.
The most common consequences of teeth grinding in adults
- Increased tooth wear. Constant friction causes teeth to lose their natural height. In general, this is a natural process: with age, all people's teeth become a little shorter. But with bruxism this happens much faster. Plus, constant grinding of teeth results in frequent loss of fillings, the appearance of chips and roughness.
- Pain in the mouth. It appears due to the fact that during bruxism a person often “bites” his cheeks. Wounds and abrasions appear that do not have time to heal.
- Headache, nagging pain in the neck, ringing in the ears, dizziness. If the cause of these neurological symptoms cannot be substantiated by other diseases, then there is a high probability that these are the consequences of constant teeth grinding.
- Drowsiness, irritability, general “weakness,” fatigue. All this can appear if a person suffering from bruxism has trouble sleeping at night due to constant clenching of teeth during sleep.
A person himself can rarely understand that the cause of his health problems is bruxism. The diagnosis can be made only with the help of a special study - electromyography.
Why do adults clench their teeth?
There is no clear answer. However, research and observations have allowed doctors to identify several hypotheses for the occurrence of bruxism.
- Bad habits
Sometimes, in order to concentrate, some people chew on a pen or toothpick. Over time, this action can become a conditioned reflex. And when a person needs to concentrate, he involuntarily clenches an imaginary toothpick between his teeth. This may explain the occurrence of teeth grinding during sleep. - Nervous stress
Often adults clench their teeth when they want to hold back in a stressful situation. If this happens for a long time, the body may develop an uncontrollable habit: the slightest overexertion - we clench our teeth tightly. This is another version of the appearance of bruxism at night in adults. - Neurological diseases
Also, people suffering from a number of neurological diseases often grind their teeth at night: epilepsy, tremor, enuresis, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease - all of them are characterized by such a symptom as bruxism. - Insomnia
If a person does not sleep normally for a long time, often wakes up at night, is more often in a state of shallow rather than deep sleep, he clenches his jaw uncontrollably because he begins to get nervous because he cannot get a good night's sleep. - Pathologies of the dental system
Bruxism can be caused by a pathological bite: it causes an uneven distribution of the load on the teeth. For treatment in this case, read the article “Bite correction in adults.” Also, the cause of clenching teeth at night may be their overcrowding. With this disorder, the teeth do not close completely. In addition, dentists studying the phenomenon of bruxism note that its cause may be the desire of people to “shorten” fillings or dentures that were installed incorrectly: a person tries to “erase” them and often begins to close their jaws tightly and move them relative to each other . Over time, this can become an unconscious habit.
For quite a long time, bruxism was considered a symptom of helminthic infestation. Scientific research has not confirmed this theory.
Clinic doctors
One of the common problems is overstrain of the masticatory muscles, which manifests itself in the form of increased clenching of teeth and bruxism (grinding teeth in sleep). Hypertonicity of muscles occurs in children and adults. And among the reasons are stressful situations, overwork, spinal pathologies and dental factors such as:
- malocclusion;
- absence of some teeth;
- poor quality fillings;
- Difficulty getting used to braces or dentures.
In addition, you need to take into account the presence of bad habits. Smoking, alcohol, and caffeine abuse stimulate the cerebral cortex and cause insomnia. In turn, sleep disturbances increase the risk of developing nighttime jaw spasms.
How does increased jaw clenching manifest?
Problems due to teeth clenching can be identified by the following signs:
- pain in the mandibular joint;
- restrictions on opening/closing the mouth;
- increased wear of chewing teeth;
- the appearance of chips on fillings;
- clenching of teeth during maximum concentration or in moments of anger;
- night grinding of teeth;
- fatigue of the facial muscles when talking or chewing for a long time;
- pain in the temples due to emotional fatigue;
- frequent tongue biting;
- ringing or pain in the ears;
- sinus pain;
- daytime sleepiness;
- soreness of the facial muscles after waking up.
If such symptoms appear, it is necessary to consult a neurologist and dentist to determine the causes of severe clenching of teeth and complex therapy.
What causes constant clenching of teeth?
If measures are not taken, increased clenching of teeth can lead to unpleasant consequences:
- dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint develops;
- the lower jaw becomes more massive;
- the bite is disturbed;
- chewing muscles become inflamed;
- teeth become sensitive and fragile;
- headaches and spasms of the facial muscles occur.
If teeth grinding and excessive tension in the masticatory apparatus are left untreated for a long time, the neck muscles ache and posture deteriorates.
How is excessive tooth clenching treated?
Treatment methods are selected taking into account the causes of teeth clenching. Young children do not require special treatment; usually by the age of 6-7 years the problem disappears on its own. Medicinal, psychotherapeutic, dental and physiotherapeutic techniques are applicable to adult patients.
If psychogenic factors play a role, it is important to practice relaxation and self-control. To reduce the activity of the masticatory muscles during sleep, the doctor prescribes vitamins, sedatives and mild sleeping pills. In some cases, massage and manual therapy sessions are useful.
Dental methods for treating bruxism and muscle hypertonicity involve the participation of a therapist, periodontist, orthopedist, and orthodontist. A set of measures may include:
- production of protective mouthguards;
- correction of bite;
- selective grinding;
- prosthetics;
- implantation
And only after eliminating the causes of the pathology do they begin to correct aesthetic defects - eliminating wedge-shaped defects, placing fillings, crowns, veneers.
As for the prevention of increased jaw clenching, it is not difficult. It is enough just to get rid of bad habits, normalize your psycho-emotional state, learn self-massage and relaxing techniques. It is also important to treat teeth in a timely manner and monitor the health of the nervous system.
Psychosomatic explanation of bruxism
Now one of the most common versions of teeth grinding is psychosomatic. That is, bruxism is the result of hidden experiences, long-suppressed emotions, complexes, and fears. All this can cause spasm of the chewing muscles. There is also an assumption that bruxism accompanies a number of mental disorders. Thus, scientists from Germany studying “adult” bruxism conducted a study, the results of which indicate that teeth clenching is directly related to chronic depression.
ATTENTION!
Confusion of the soul is the main cause of teeth grinding. This was the opinion of Hippocrates. And he was probably not far from the truth.
What procedures can a dentist not perform for bruxism?
Chronic teeth grinding often makes it impossible to carry out dental treatment: for some types it is an absolute contraindication, for others it is a relative one. It all depends on the severity of bruxism.
Treatment with braces.
For bruxism, dentists prefer to replace it with mouth guards. They are softer than braces and do not injure the mucous membranes, gums and tongue, which often happens if a person regularly clenches his jaw tightly. In addition, braces often break due to bruxism.
Installation of ceramic crowns
undesirable for “teeth grinding disease.” Despite the fact that modern dental ceramics are quite durable, they still cannot withstand the increased pressure that occurs during bruxism, and the ceramic crown is destroyed.
For implantation
Bruxism is considered an absolute contraindication, since the risk is too high that due to constant clenching of the teeth, the implant will become loose and fall out.
Restoration with lumineers, veneers, composites
It is ineffective for bruxism. It can be done, but it will not be possible to avoid mechanical damage to mini-prostheses. This has been recorded over many years of observations.
Should adults treat bruxism?
Teeth grinding is an unpleasant disease, but its severity for the patient, of course, cannot be compared with, say, a complete absence of teeth and caries. However, the long-term consequences of bruxism are still unpleasant. It may interfere with prosthetics, implantation, and orthodontic treatment with braces, if necessary. In most cases, you will simply need to get rid of uncontrollable teeth clenching, but this will require additional time and money. But, in general, we are lucky that we do not live in the Middle Ages - then the Inquisition interpreted gnashing of teeth as a symbol of connection with the devil and executed people. Today we have all the means to get rid of this disease. The main thing is not to delay your visit to the dentist and start treatment on time.
Treatment of bruxism
First, you need to identify the nature of bruxism, determine whether the problem relates to the dental field or has psychological causes. Based on the results, it is necessary to contact the right specialist as soon as possible to avoid serious consequences. Your doctor will tell you what to do first and how to get rid of the problem. The most common measures used in treatment:
- A complete dental examination and elimination of all problems in the oral cavity, including correction of malocclusion.
- The use of special mouthguards made individually according to the size of the patient’s jaw. With their help, teeth are protected from injury, but they cannot completely get rid of the problem.
- Injections of a minimal amount of Botox. It prevents the jaws from clenching tightly, partially paralyzing the muscles of the mouth.
- Apply soothing warm compresses before bed.
- Taking medications and vitamin-mineral complexes, including magnesium, calcium, B vitamins.
- Minimizing stressful situations, allocating time during the day for rest and walks.
- Limit heavy food intake in the evening. This will promote muscle relaxation and healthy sleep.
If a serious pathology of the jaw is detected, surgical intervention, such as plastic surgery of the articular disc, or the use of laser therapy is possible.
