Bruxism (grinding and grinding teeth) in adults: cause and treatment

A person simply does not notice most of the habits in himself, but often he is angry with the same manifestations in other people.

One of these unpleasant moments is involuntary grinding of teeth, which in medical terminology is referred to as bruxism.

Serious violation

Bruxism in adults and children is called a condition of involuntary compression of the teeth, resulting in a creak.

This may be the result of certain processes in the body or harmful addiction, which is much more common. This habit does not pose a serious health hazard, but it does create some problems.

This uncontrollable grinding of teeth is exacerbated at night when a person is sleeping, which puts an extra burden on the temporomandibular joint.

The result of squeaking is also damage to the enamel,

loosening and the erasure of teeth, a negative reflection on the muscles of the face, joints, the emotional state of the person himself and his loved ones, which gnashing interferes with rest.

The disease is more common in children, but age and gender do not play a role in this issue.

Some interesting statistics

According to statistics, bruxism is more likely to suffer children at the age of 7 years - 30-50% (usually by the age of 7 in children, the problem disappears by itself), in while in adults the same indicator is only 10-15% of the total population.

But it is also assumed that bruxism is much more common in adults, so the statistics are inaccurate. Lonely people, gritting their teeth, are not even aware of their condition, because they have no one to tell about it.

In the daytime form of the disorder, the person himself notices its manifestations and tries to control his condition.

The nature of the disease

According to some scientists, bruxism is a sleep disorder like somnambulism (sleepwalking), enuresis, snoring, nightmares, and apnea (stopping breathing during sleep).

Officially, this assumption was not confirmed, because this phenomenon has not been fully studied. There are suggestions that nocturnal grinding of teeth is a response to involuntary activity in a dream, when a person talks in a dream, experiences hallucinations, is between sleep and wakefulness.

It is well known that bruxism occurs in aggressive people who try to suppress anger, as well as in citizens prone to stress and emotional stress, which often entails work activities. In any case, grinding your teeth at night can have serious consequences.

What causes teeth grinding?

Teeth grinding is a non-independent disease. It only indicates psychological or physiological disorders in the body.

If bruxism is found in an adult, then before starting treatment, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive examination in order to find the cause that provoked the presented pathology.

Physical reasons include:

• malocclusion;
• missing or supernumerary teeth;
• improper structure of the temporomandibular joint;
• Parkinson's or Gettington's disease;
• epilepsy;
• hard getting used to prosthesis or braces;
• poor quality fillings.

The psychological reasons for the appearance of bruxism include:

• uncontrolled nervous irritability;
• protracted stressful situation (passing exams, waiting, family difficulties);
• drugs, withdrawal syndrome for nicotine or alcohol addiction.

Stress is a common cause of grinding teeth. 70% of all identified cases are the consequences of nervous tension and frequent experiences. The most sensitive and emotional people are more likely to develop this problem.

Lifestyle can also influence the formation of "bad habits": alcoholism and smoking, excessive intake of antidepressants, the use of caffeine in large doses.

All this provokes excitation of the cerebral cortex during a night's sleep. A person suffers from insomnia, which increases the risk of bruxism.

What is the danger

Untimely treatment entails not harmless consequences:

1. First of all, the patient who grinds his teeth all night feels pain in the maxillofacial areabecause the muscles and joints of the face are in constant tension and from this they experience pain.
2. In addition, from the constant grinding, the chewing surface of the teeth is erasedthey loosen and become sensitive, wherein the gums become inflamed, the aesthetic appearance of the teeth deteriorates.
3. Bruxism irradiates with pain in the ears, maxillary sinuses, the patient wakes up with a headache in the morning, hearing deterioration gradually begins, and the asymmetry of the face slowly develops.
4. Human insomnia begins to torment, there is nervousness, irritability, overexertion and even depression.

If a violation suddenly appears in a person of age, then you should undergo an examination, because grinding your teeth can indicate an epilepsy disease.

In addition, a person cannot sleep in the same room with someone, it is difficult for him to build a family life. Several cases of divorce have been officially recorded precisely because of the creak of teeth in a dream.

How to identify the problem yourself?

A person with bruxism may not know for a long time that he is grinding his teeth in a dream. The following accompanying symptoms should alert him:

• pain in the morning in the head, neck, back, temporomandibular joints, shoulders;
• pain in the ears and maxillary sinuses;
• dizziness and ringing in the ears;
• insomnia and restless sleep;
• daytime sleepiness;
• frequent stress and depression.

These signs indicate other diseases as well, but it is worth paying attention to the condition of the teeth. If they are worn out, dentures are damaged, the bite has changed, then there is a possibility of bruxism and it is worth contacting a specialist.

Therapy - a full range of measures

Treatment for bruxism is divided into two stages: dental and psychological, because the cause of the grinding lies in the psychological state of the patient, and the dental stage is needed to prevent the consequences for teeth.

Treatment can be started independently, where the compression of the upper and lower jaw should be controlled. They should not touch, thus reducing the friction of the teeth.

Dental stage

Several times a day, you should relax the muscles: open the jaws, while compressing the lips. Stay in this position for several minutes. If teeth grinding occurs during sleep, then these exercises should be done before bedtime.

You can control bruxism during the day by doing some chin exercises:

• place your head straight;
• relax your jaw and open your mouth;
• gently push your chin back;
• exercise in front of a mirror to control the correct position of the upper and lower jaw;
• repeat the exercise 15 times, for a quick and desired result, at least 3 sessions a day should be carried out - this exercise will help correct the bite and relax the temporomandibular joint.

Psychological stage

Psychological treatment for bruxism is to relieve stress from the patient. To get rid of psychological stress, daily deep breathing will help: inhale through the nose, and exhale through the mouth.

In addition, it is necessary to load the patient physically, because exercise will help not only relieve nervous tension and stress, but also produce endorphins. It is good to do yoga - it relaxes the whole body and muscles, including the facial ones.

Conservative and traditional medicine

Drug treatment is a decrease in the activity of the chewing muscles. Here they resort to the use of sedatives and hypnotics, magnesium and calcium, B vitamins, Botox injections.

From folk remedies for bruxism, a warm compress in the area of ​​the temporomandibular joint helps - the heat relieves the spasm and prevents the jaws from clenching. You should also chew carrots or chewing gum before going to bed to keep the muscles under pressure and not contract at night.

To prevent abrasion of teeth, breakage of them and dentures, you can use orthodontic aligners - These are onlays on the teeth to prevent jaw contact.

For preventive purposes, you should normalize your psycho-emotional state, learn self-massage and relaxation techniques, get rid of bad habits. This is the only way to prevent the development of a problem that has a destructive effect on a wonderful smile.