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Bruxism is not just a problem for those who sleep next to us and must witness our teeth grinding. Untreated, the ailment can end up with tooth loss, severe migraines, and even back problems.
Are you grinding your teeth? You definitely have pinworms! – until recently, this was the opinion even of doctors who recommended routine stool examinations to people rubbing their enamel in their sleep. Currently, bruxism is considered a psychosomatic disease, and doctors of several specialties are more and more often fighting it together.
The problem seems minor, although the more modern the country, the greater the percentage of those who grind their teeth. In Europe, bruxism affects 11-21 percent. population. It is much more common in women, especially the young ones. Loneliness is also a risk factor for bruxism; people living under the same roof with a partner grind their teeth twice as often as those who live alone.
By having a partner, you have a greater chance of noticing bruxism in good time. It is the husbands and wives who raise the alarm, woken up by the grinding of the teeth of a person sleeping in the same bed, and send her to the doctor. In Poland, no more than 20 percent of specialists go to specialists. people grinding their teeth. We often ignore this condition, without realizing that it can even affect our eyes, ears and ankles.
The causes of bruxism
Today, bruxism is considered primarily a dental problem. In fact, in some people the grinding is due to a malocclusion or poorly fitting dentures or crowns. If the teeth do not rest properly against each other during the night, the jaw looks for a suitable position and the upper teeth rub against the lower ones. Bruxism also often appears in people with pathological changes, e.g. rheumatic lesions, in the temporomandibular joints. During an attack of bruxism, we clench our jaws up to 10 times stronger than when we bite something hard (e.g. a steak or a biscuit). So we rub the enamel, break the fillings, and even break the teeth. It happens that the teeth of people with bruxism cannot be saved! People who grind their teeth are four times more likely than others to complain of tooth sensitivity after eating something cold, hot, sour, etc. They also damage their gums and temporomandibular joints.
Doctors diagnose pain-dysfunctional syndrome of the temporomandibular joint even in 12% of adults. But it doesn’t stop there. Joint overload and muscle tension in the head and neck lead to seemingly distant disorders such as migraines, ringing in the ear, pain in the eye sockets, shoulders of the spine, and even ankle joints. After all, muscles and joints do not work in a vacuum and a malfunction of one immediately affects the others, impairing them.
The CranioCradle Self-Therapy Device may be useful in relieving the symptoms of bruxism. It has a soothing effect on muscle tension and improves well-being.
Relaxation splint for teeth
For people whose bruxism is associated with malocclusion, an orthodontic appliance may be the solution. On the other hand, in those who have improperly seated fillings, crowns or dentures, the source of bruxism can be eliminated even faster. In 80 percent who come to a grinding dentist, the source of this ailment cannot be determined in such a simple way. The doctor usually recommends putting on the so-called silicone or acrylic relaxation splint. The splint is made specifically for the person, an imprint is made, such as when “taking a measure” on an orthodontic appliance or prosthesis. Universal splints are also on sale, you can buy them in some pharmacies and at online auctions.
– I do not recommend such rails – says Dorota Leśniak, a dentist. – They cost about PLN 100. For this price, you can already order bespoke splints from some dentists. Even in the most expensive offices, their price usually does not exceed PLN 300. And a universal brace, if it doesn’t fit our jaw, can be very uncomfortable and just make it difficult to sleep. In addition, and worst of all, it can exacerbate the problem, putting even more strain on muscles and joints rather than relaxing them.
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For the brace to work, it usually needs to be worn every night for at least six weeks. Dentists often advise you to refrain from drinking coffee, strong tea, and chewing gum during this time, which further strain your temporomandibular joints. Instead, they recommend drinking lemon balm, taking muscle relaxants, or signing up for yoga. Because in fact, the rail only removes the effect, not the cause. And the most common cause of grinders is stress.
– Relaxation is the key – says Dorota Leśniak. – Until the patient learns to discharge his emotions, he will have to use a splint. There are people to whom I make new rails every six months, because they ‘eat’ one after another. I recommend yoga, tai chi, and meditation to them. Most of all, however, I recommend meeting a psychologist or psychiatrist. Because if the problem is in the brain, there is no point in treating it through the teeth.
Psychotherapy in the treatment of bruxism
Very rarely, patients see psychotherapists because of teeth grinding.
– For 12 years of work, I had only one person in my office, who came asking for help in the case of grinding – says Ewa Dołęga, a psychologist. – The husband moved out of the bedroom because his wife’s grinding was not allowing him to sleep. Most often, however, people come in completely different matters, with neurosis, conflicts at work, insomnia. Bruxism ‘comes out’ to us by the way, after a few meetings. And most often there is no need to deal with it separately as a disease entity. If we deal with neurosis or suppression of emotions, the grinding also disappears.
Do you suffer from bruxism and have trouble sleeping? It is worth consulting not only a dentist, but also a psychologist or psychiatrist in order to reduce stress. Register now for an online visit and talk comfortably via video, chat or phone with a specialist.
Psychiatrists treat bruxism as parasomnia, which is a sleep disorder. There are over 80 such disorders in the classification of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Bruxism appears there alongside somnambulism, night terrors, bedwetting, etc. Interestingly, teeth grinding episodes occur only in the first and second stages of slow wave sleep ( NREM), i.e. when there are no fictional dreams, we do not experience bizarre adventures or ghastly brawls with the boss. So grinding is not a reaction to a stressful situation taking place in a dream vision. Just because we don’t dream about our stresses doesn’t mean we don’t live through them! The American psychiatrist, Timothy Olson, stated that bruxism attacks occur most often on a Sunday night, i.e. when we prepare ourselves internally for the new week and the related difficulties at work. In the second and third weeks of leave, episodes of bruxism are up to two-thirds less than when we go to work!
In order to fight bruxism effectively, the cooperation of a dentist, neurologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist and physical therapist is often needed, who will deal with the rehabilitation of the temporomandibular joint and – if necessary – other joints and muscles, and teach the patient to relax with the help of facial muscles exercises. . In America, the collaboration of many specialists is considered the standard of teeth grinding. This is not the case in Poland yet, so it is worth visiting a dentist, psychotherapist and physiotherapist by yourself. Because neglect can end up very painfully.
Currently, the treatment also uses botulinum toxin injection of the masseter muscles, which gives very good results and eliminates the patient’s problem.
If you have a problem not only with bruxism, but also caries and periodontitis, you can try a special toothpaste with hemp oil.
Text: Liliana Fabisińska
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