Bruxism Facts
1. Table of contents
What is Bruxism?
Teeth gnashing, teeth grinding, teeth clenching and jaw clenching are all common terms which fall under the medical category of bruxism. This is defined as the habitual, purposeless clenching and grinding of teeth, especially during sleep and can cause facial pain and headaches. It is commonly caused by anxiety and when left untreated it often gives rise to poor quality sleep and damaged teeth.
Bruxism is a little understood condition with experts divided about causes and treatments. However, there is clear evidence to suggest that stress is a predominant causal factor.
Who suffers from Bruxism?
Everyone under stress is vulnerable to bruxism, but those working in high pressure jobs seem to be particularly at risk. Other at risk groups include:
People with other sleep disorders such as snoring & sleep apneoa
People who drink alcohol especially just before going to sleep
Smokers
Drug users
People with depression or other anxiety related disorder
What are the symptoms?
Surprisingly, it is not always the teeth that suffer when we clench and grind them. Often, we get symptoms that may appear unconnected. For example, many people wake up with a throbbing headache from teeth grinding during sleep. The forces involved in the act of clenching and grinding can put huge pressures on the muscles in the neck and shoulder, creating tension that is released when we wake up. It is this release of tension that can trigger muscle spasm and headaches.
Your pearly whites are most likely to suffer the brunt of night time and daytime bruxing. Anything from chipped teeth, loosening of fillings and damage to cosmetic dentistry work can be the result, often costing lots of time and money at the dental surgery to put right. If your are lucky enough to still have an NHS dentist, the typical costs are:
| Band 1 | £16.50 including examination, diagnosis and preventative care. |
| Band 2 | £45.00 including fillings, root canal treatment or extractions. |
| Band 3 | £198.00 Including more complex procedures such as crowns, dentures or bridges. |
Private dentistry costs are typically many times higher than those shown in the table above.
If your sleep partner is a light sleeper, listening to you gnashing your teeth may cause them to lose sleep and eventually vacate the bedroom forever! Bruxers may find that a dental guard is the only way to reduce the noise and damage from night time grinding, but they can be costly and time consuming to fit.
Custom dental guards to protect teeth can cost from £20 to £700!
What are the consequences?
The obvious point of damage is to your teeth. For example clenching and grinding can chip and loosen teeth, fillings,crowns and bridge work. Some of the additional consequences of bruxism include; headaches, migraines, jaw pain, neck and shoulder pain, damage to your TMJ (the joint that connects your lower jaw to your skull).
Since the main damage is likely to be to your teeth, the natural reaction is to consult with a dentist to deal with the consequences. However, bruxism is both a dental and medical problem so you need to consider a different approach, perhaps consulting with your GP first. They are more likely to take into account your general health and history and refer you to specialist consultants. It is important that your GP, consultants and dentist are talking to each other so that they can establish the right treatment program based on your particular circumstances.
