Several phenomena affect the beauty of a smile and jeopardize the person’s oral health. Among these is bruxism, commonly called a grinding of the teeth. At a Dentist in Trumbull CT, dental professionals are getting asked more and more questions about this oral problem, about its causes and consequences, but especially about the solutions to remedy it.
What is bruxism?
Bruxism involves the creaking or clenching of teeth involuntarily. It can happen during the day or during the night and it has two different manifestations:
• Static bruxism is the clenching of teeth without producing noise
• Dynamic bruxism that is the clenching of teeth from front to back or in lateral movements
This phenomenon affects all age groups: adults, adolescents, and children. Two types of bruxism are identified by a Dentist in Trumbull CT. First, nocturnal bruxism is involuntary and uncontrollable, and daytime bruxism is normally due to stress.
What are the symptoms that accompany bruxism?
Although bruxism can happen during sleep, its manifestations are visible on the state of your teeth and the body as a whole. These are the main symptoms that should alarm patients:
• Muscle pain in the jaw and temporomandibular joint
• Fatigue when waking up, although the hours of sleep were sufficient, often accompanied by headaches
• Muscular pains in the cheeks, neck, and shoulders
• Excessive and remarkable wear on the surface of the teeth
• The cracking of the jaws that generates noises and unpleasant sensations
• The difficulty in opening your mouth normally
• Tinnitus or ear pain
What are the causes?
Many causes are at the origin of bruxism. In some patients, the problem is anatomical and is due to a malocclusion problem in the jaws. However, in many patients, stress and anxiety are the cause of bruxism since they cause extreme pressure in the jaws.
Other risk factors are attributable to this pathology frequently encountered in dentistry, including the use of antidepressants, the use of certain drugs, as well as hyperactivity.
What solutions are available?
When a person realizes that they suffer from bruxism, the first resolution is to get a complete diagnosis from the dentist. They will identify the problem as well as its causes and consequences. He or she can then propose the appropriate solution to each case. Browse our website for more details.