Prevention and treatment of bruxism: Practical advice

Bruxism is a condition in which we clench or grind our teeth and which most often occurs at night, in an unconscious state. Therefore, patients are often not aware that they have a problem with clenching or grinding, but it is pointed out to them by another person (a family member) who hears teeth grinding at night. Also, some of the signs of bruxism can be waking up with a headache, pain or fatigue of the jaw muscles. Very often, such a condition is ignored and not given much attention, but ignoring it can cause worsening symptoms and serious dental problems.

What are the symptoms of bruxism?

There are several symptoms that indicate that you are grinding your teeth uncontrollably during the night, such as: pain in the chewing muscles, pain near the ear or an unpleasant feeling in that area, hypersensitivity of the teeth to hot and cold and to tastes (sweet and sour), headache. 

Bruxism, however, is not manifested only through teeth grinding. It is also possible for it to be silent, without movement of the lower jaw, where there is no grinding, but only clenching of the teeth, but this also affects the teeth, masticatory muscles and jaw just as badly. Bruxism is extremely destructive to the teeth because the force with which you clench your teeth uncontrollably in your sleep can be several times stronger than when you consciously clench your teeth. Pain in the muscles and jaw joints, as well as possible damage to the enamel, are inevitable if this is not treated.

Nowdays, where people live at an increasingly fast pace, stress and anxiety have become everyday life and the main cause of bruxism. Even if during the day we manage to control it, during the night, in sleep, it can manifest itself in the form of this unpleasant disorder, which leads to possible health problems. Bruxism, in the form of teeth grinding, can also occur during the day, most often during physical exertion, but also as an unconscious, uncontrolled phenomenon.

How do we treat bruxism?

We treat bruxism using an individual dental splint. With the help of this splint, we prevent further wear of the surface of the teeth, the correct position of the teeth and jaws is enabled, headaches and jaw pains are eliminated, better quality sleep is achieved, undisturbed by teeth grinding.

For patients with bruxism, the exercises can be very simple, for example, stretching the masticatory muscles by opening the mouth wide, 10 repetitions 2 or 3 times a day, or repeated lateral movements of the jaw from right to left.