What You Need to Know About Severe Bruxism
Admin • February 18, 2020
Bruxism (nighttime tooth grinding) may not sound like a big deal at first, but it can permanently damage your dental health if you end up with a severe case.
Here's what you need to know about severe bruxism.
What Is Bruxism?
Unlike daytime jaw clenching, bruxism is a completely unconscious habit that you can't simply control by thinking about it. So if your dentist finds evidence of bruxism, you'll need to have it treated as a medical condition rather than simply trying to break yourself of the habit.
Symptoms
Bruxism can have many symptoms, such as:
- Sensitive teeth
- Flattened or worn down chewing surfaces
- Headaches
- Tight facial and jaw muscles
- Chips or fractures in teeth
A few of these symptoms could be caused by something else, but if you have severe bruxism, you're likely to have many symptoms, and possibly severe ones.
Co-Occurring Issues
In many cases, bruxism can co-occur with issues such as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) and daytime jaw clenching. Your dentist may not always know which issue came first, and they may treat each issue separately. For instance, you may need therapy for your temporomandibular joint in addition to bruxism treatment.
Why Do You Have Bruxism?
In order to understand the condition, you'll want to get a complete picture of which parts of your life could be affecting your bruxism and vice versa. Here are some things you'll want to know about what causes bruxism.
Causes
Not every case of bruxism has a clear cause, but several factors may precipitate the issue or increase your risk of developing bruxism. These can include a misaligned bite, sleep apnea, or stress that causes you to clench your jaw throughout the day.
Exacerbating or Worsening Factors
You may be wondering why your case is worse than most. Some factors that could make bruxism worse include:
- A habit of chewing gum throughout the day
- Increased stress in your daily life (including emotional stress such as anxiety)
- Drinking alcohol and smoking
If these factors sound familiar, you may be able to address them and reduce the severity of your bruxism.
What's the Prognosis?
A diagnosis of severe bruxism isn't the end of the journey. Now that you know what's wrong, you need to treat it immediately before it can cause any further damage to your oral health. Fortunately, several treatments are available.
Typical Treatments
Your dentist will likely want you to wear a professionally fitted nightguard (a mouth guard used at night), effective immediately. Although it doesn't stop you from grinding, a mouth guard will lessen the shock to your enamel.
Your dentist will want to get to the root of the problem too by treating any possible causes. For example, if you have bite misalignment, you'll likely need orthodontic work. And if you have suspected sleep apnea, you may be referred for a sleep study. Your dentist may also recommend relaxation practices before bed to avoid worsening your bruxism due to stress.
Effects if Untreated
Extreme bruxism can severely damage your oral health. In addition to any symptoms you already have, such as jaw pain, headaches, and worn enamel, severe bruxism can cause much worse damage over time. You can expect issues such as:
- Chipped, cracked, and broken teeth
- Completely lost enamel on chewing surfaces
- Receding gums
- Damaged periodontal ligaments, leading to loose teeth
- Bone loss in jaw, potentially leading to tooth loss
- Cavities due to enamel loss and exposed dentin
As you can see, severe bruxism is no light matter. Unlike a milder form of this problem, a severe case can destroy the health of both your teeth and your gums over time. So be sure to follow any treatments your dentist prescribes in order to stave off worsening damage.
Bruxism can come in several levels of severity. If you suspect you have bruxism, you need to get a professional diagnosis right away so you can commence treatment. Schedule an appointment with your friendly local dentists at Silver Lake Family Dental today.
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Many dental patients need to wear a night guard at night to avoid damage from clenching their jaw and grinding their teeth. Whether you're choosing a custom-fitted one you send away in the mail, a basic boil-and-bite guard, or a professional night guard fitted in person by your dentist, a night guard can be an essential part of your dental care. Here are some considerations for helping you choose between the many night guard options available to you. 1. Texture of the Guard Some night guards are made of soft and cushion-like plastic. This may sound positive, since the material will be able to soften the shock of clenching your teeth together. However, these chewy-textured guards may actually encourage a chewing motion and could actually increase grinding in some cases. Increased grinding could mean that symptoms such as jaw and muscle soreness, headaches, and gum irritation increase. These symptoms can still occur even if you're using a night guard, so you can see why choosing a guard that doesn't increase grinding is important. A less squishy, comparatively hard-textured night guard may work better. 2. Comfort and Convenience Before you decide on a night guard, think about the process of wearing it. If you have a sensitive gag reflex or jaw joint issues (such as temporomandibular problems, which may accompany nighttime grinding), you may not be comfortable holding a thick, bulky guard in your mouth. An uncomfortable night guard is not only less pleasant to wear, but may keep you awake at night, reducing sleep duration or quality. Or you may even find yourself removing it in your sleep, eliminating its effectiveness. So comfort is a big deal here. A guard that's made of an extra-stiff material or one that's not quite the right shape and size could also be uncomfortable. 3. Sturdiness and Longevity Before comparing prices on different styles of night guard, don't forget to consider the monthly or yearly price based on the product's expected lifespan. Check the product information to see how long the product typically lasts. And don't forget to factor in the possibility of chewing through the guard. If your nighttime grinding is bad enough that your dentist has told you to wear a night guard, you may be at risk of wearing through your night guards on a regular basis. Talk to your dentist about how severe your problem is and whether you'll need to look for an extra-durable night guard. 4. Price For many patients, price is a big factor. If you can afford it, you should consider investing in the professionally fitted night guard your dentist offers. Although expensive up front, these guards are likely to offer a long service life. They're also less likely to be bulky and uncomfortable. However, for many dental patients, a professional guard is just not affordable, especially if you don't have dental insurance to cover it. In this scenario, you're likely better off looking for a mid-range price rather than a bottom basement product that's made as cheaply as possible. Some patients use a sports mouthguard as a night guard, because sports guards are widely available and affordable. However, this option is not optimal because a sports guard is likely to be thicker and more cushioning, yet less hard and therefore less able to stand up to grinding. Also, these guards may be quite difficult to sleep with since they're so bulky. 5. Possible Side Effects In some cases, a poorly made night guard could interfere with your bite by changing how your teeth fit together all night, every night. Your dentist's professionally fitted night guard is less likely to interfere with your bite. It's a thin material that won't force your jaw into an open position or keep your teeth from fitting together normally. These considerations can help you choose a night guard that's likely to work for your situation. If you find that you struggle with the first night guard you try, don't give up. Talk to your dentist about which option you should try next. Schedule an appointment with Silver Lake Family Dental today to discuss your dental needs with your friendly local dentist.
