December 15th, 2007 by Aaks
Teeth grinding is very common and it is referred to as Bruxism. It occurs when you clench or grind your teeth at night or during the day. Grinding involves sliding your teeth back and forth over each other. Doing this continuously can wear down your teeth and cause other problems. Sometimes it can be noisy enough at night to bother other people who may be sleeping near you. Both clenching and grinding can lead to jaw pain and other problems described below.
Bruxism is not considered a dangerous disorder although it can sometimes permanently damage your teeth and cause headaches, jaw paid and ear pain. Grinding your teeth at night can disturb roommates and sleeping partners. Sometimes if the jaw pain is severe it can lead to depression, insomnia and eating disorders. Grinding and clenching your teeth can also worsen existing dental problems.
There are various treatments and remedies for treating teeth grinding or bruxism. The treatments usually focus on reducing pain, modifying clenching behaviors and preventing permanent damage to the teeth. Some of the things that you can do at home to help relieve pain include:
- Relaxing your facial and jaw muscles and making it a habit to do this throughout the day.
- Applying wet heat or ice to sore jaw muscles.
- Drinking plenty of water
- Massaging the muscles of the face, neck and shoulders.
- And working on reducing your daily stress levels through relaxation.
Health professionals also often recommend that you avoid eating hard foods like steak, nuts and candies. If you’re prone to stress and anxiety, managing stress can help reduce your bruxism.
A lot of people grind and clench their teeth subconsciously during the day and at night. However, sleep-related bruxism is often the bigger problem because it is harder to control.
Generally, there is no single cause of bruxism that medical professionals agree upon, but for many people, it may be triggered by continuous stress. There are also people who probably clench and grind but never feel the symptoms. Whether or not bruxism causes pain and other problems depends on many factors. These factors may include how much stress you are under, how tightly and how long you clench and grind, if your teeth are misaligned, your posture, diet, sleeping habits, ability to relax, and other factors. Each person is different but the symptoms and treatment is similar.
Click here for a comprehensive list of websites where you can find out about cures and treatments for Teeth Grinding (Bruxism) and TMJ: http://www.abouthealthtips.com/bruxism/ Online. Discover all-natural methods for eliminating Bruxism and TMJ permanently without using Medicines, Dental Implant, Surgery or Devices such as Teeth Grinding Mouth Guards. © Katie Johnson: http://www.abouthealthtips.com/
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December 15th, 2007 by Aaks
Bruxism is the medical term that is used to refer to the habit of grinding and clenching that abrades teeth and can cause jaw pain, tense muscles and headaches. It often occurs during sleep and may even occur during short naps or during the day. Statistics show that it is one of the most common sleep disorders with over 30 million Americans reported to grind their teeth during sleep. People who grind their teeth are sometimes referred to as bruxers. In addition to grinding their teeth, some bruxers may also bite their fingernails and chew the inside of their cheek. Very often, people usually aren’t diagnosed with it until it is too late because so many people don’t realize they have the habit. The effects may be quite advanced before sufferers become aware of the problem.
Can bruxism cause harm?
Although Bruxism is not considered a dangerous disorder it can cause other problems. People with otherwise healthy teeth and gums can clench so often and so hard that they may end up damaging their teeth over time. They may experience facial pain, jaw pain, headaches and tense muscles in addition to the excessive wear on their teeth. In extreme cases, the forceful biting when not eating may cause the jaw to move out of proper balance. Other literature says that it may lead to decayed, sensitive, worn-out, fractured, loose, or missing teeth.
What are the signs and symptoms?
One of the most common signs of bruxism is a flat look on the tips of the sufferer’s teeth. The teeth may become so worn down that the enamel is rubbed off and the inside of the tooth, called dentin, is exposed. When exposed, dentin may become very sensitive. They may experience pain in their temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the jaw. Other symptoms include: abraded teeth, sore or painful jaw, oversensitive teeth, headaches, Earaches, anxiety, stress, and tension as well as insomnia, depression, eating disorders and tongue indentations.
Certain personality types and daily stress and are at the root of bruxism. Also bruxism tends to affect people with nervous tension. Things such as anger, pain and frustration have been known to trigger bruxing. If you’re aggressive, competitive and hurried you may be at a greater risk for bruxism.
Remedies and Treatments - What can be done about it?
Bruxism sufferers may find that relaxation techniques and certain meditation may help to reduce teeth grinding. Many dentists automatically check for physical signs of bruxism during regularly dental visits. The main goal of treatment is to reduce pain, prevent permanent damage to teeth, and modify clenching behaviors by getting the bruxer to change behavior thorough learning how to rest the tongue, teeth and lips properly. When some sufferers become aware of their teeth grinding problem, simply advising them to change their behavior may be enough to get rid of the problem. Grinding which is due to stress can be cured by removing the stress trigger. These people may be advised to try to reduce their daily stress and learn relaxation techniques. Sometimes the dentist may recommend a plastic mouth appliance, such as a night guard, that’s worn to absorb the force of biting. This appliance can prevent future damage to the teeth and help change the patient’s destructive behavior.
Click here for a comprehensive list of websites where you can find out about cures and treatments for Teeth Grinding (Bruxism) and TMJ: http://www.abouthealthtips.com/bruxism/ Online. Discover all-natural methods for eliminating Bruxism and TMJ permanently without using Medicines, Dental Implant, Surgery or Devices such as Teeth Grinding Mouth Guards. © Katie Johnson: http://www.abouthealthtips.com/
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December 15th, 2007 by Aaks
Grinding teeth at night or during the day (Bruxism) is very common and about one in three people suffer from some form of it. Most of the people who have this habit are not even aware of it until they get some signs and symptoms showing that it’s been there. Bruxism occurs when you clench or grind your teeth at night or during the day. With clenching, you tightly hold your top and bottom teeth together, especially the back teeth. It puts pressure on tissues, muscles, and other structures around your jaw and can lead to a lot of pain in the jaws, soreness, headaches, damaged teeth, earaches and other problems such as insomnia. The symptoms may also cause what is known as temporomandibular joint problems.
Teeth grinding involves sliding your teeth back and forth over each other. Obviously this can wear down your teeth and make them sensitive. Grinding sometimes can be noisy to the point of bothering and waking sleeping partners. As with clenching, grinding can lead to jaw pain and other problems. Many people grind their teeth subconsciously during both the day and night, but night bruxism is often the bigger problem because it is very hard to control.
For many people, daily stress is the main thing that triggers bruxing. There is no single cause that has been agreed upon. Some of the factors that may bring about this habit include the following:
- How Stressed You Are
- Whether Your Teeth Are Misaligned,
- How Long and Tightly You Clench and Grind,
- Posture,
- Ability to Relax,
- Diet,
- Sleeping Habits, And Other Factors.
Symptoms of teeth grinding at night or during the day may include:
- Abraded Teeth
- Facial Pain
- Oversensitive Teeth
- Headaches
- Earaches
- Anxiety
- Teeth Grinding and Clenching
- Stress and Tension
- Insomnia
- Depression
- And Eating Disorders
Treatment for bruxism often focuses on reducing pain and changing behaviors that lead to it such as being stressed and tense. Treatment may involve the use of facial relaxation techniques and stress management if the bruxing is linked to daily stress. The sufferer may also be advised to stop eating hard foods like nuts, candies and steak and to drink lots of water. There are a lot of other self-care steps that the they can take at home such as learning physical therapy stretching exercises and relaxation techniques. To prevent damage to the teeth, mouth guards or appliances called splints may be used. Approaches to try to help people change their clenching and teeth grinding behaviors are more successful for daytime clenching but less effective for night time clenching which cannot be consciously stopped. In some sufferers, just relaxing and modifying daytime behavior is enough to reduce and stop grinding teeth at night.
Click here for a comprehensive list of websites where you can find out about cures and treatments for Teeth Grinding (Bruxism) and TMJ: http://www.abouthealthtips.com/bruxism/ Online. Discover all-natural methods for eliminating Bruxism and TMJ permanently without using Medicines, Dental Implant, Surgery or Devices such as Teeth Grinding Mouth Guards. © Katie Johnson: http://www.abouthealthtips.com/
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December 15th, 2007 by Aaks
There are many reasons why people grind their teeth. Medical researches do not agree on a single cause and it appears that there is a mix of factors that may lead to this habit. Bruxism is the technical term that is used to refer to teeth grinding and clenching. There are many people who clench and grind their teeth but they never feel the symptoms. Below are some of the factors that are often cited as some of the causes of this condition.
If you’re continuously under a lot of stress and tension, you may be prone to bruxism. Learning to reduce your daily stress and learning some relaxation techniques may help. You may want to enrol on a stress management program. The reason why people grind their teeth consists of a complicated mix of factors which include how stressed you are, how long and how tightly you clench or grind, your ability to relax, whether your teeth are misaligned, your posture, diet, sleeping habits, and other factors. Each person is different and so are the causes and symptoms. Symptoms of teeth grinding and clenching may include grinding teeth, painful jaw, headaches, earaches, anxiety, stress and tension. Symptoms may also include insomnia, depression and eating disorders.
Teeth grinding and clenching usually focus on reducing pain and preventing damage to teeth. To cure bruxism, you need to remove and eliminate the cause and modify your behavior as much as possible. Experts recommend that you relax your facial and jaw muscles throughout the day and try to make facial relaxation a habit. Massaging the muscles of the shoulders, neck and face can also help. A physical therapist can help you learn stretching exercises to help the restore a normal balance to the action of the muscles and joint on each side of your head. Remedies such as applying ice or wet heat to sore jaw muscles also have beneficial effects.
In terms of diet, health professionals recommend that sufferers avoid eating hard foods like candies, nuts and steak. Drinking plenty of water every day and getting plenty of sleep is also recommended. If your teeth grinding is caused by stress, try to reduce your daily stress and learn relaxation techniques. Stress reduction and anxiety management may help reduce or eliminate bruxism. To prevent damage to the teeth, mouth guards may be recommended.
Click here for a comprehensive list of websites where you can find out about cures and treatments for Teeth Grinding (Bruxism) and TMJ: http://www.abouthealthtips.com/bruxism/ Online. Discover all-natural methods for eliminating Bruxism and TMJ permanently without using Medicines, Dental Implant, Surgery or Devices such as Teeth Grinding Mouth Guards. © Katie Johnson: http://www.abouthealthtips.com/
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