Over the past 3 years since Covid started, I have personally noticed a huge rise in the prevalence of a clenching and grinding habit among patients in our practice.
A lot of people went through hard times of uncertainty regarding their health and the health of their loved ones, financial stability, and their job future. With the pandemic causing uncertainty, isolation and disruptions in routine, research has continued to show increases in far-reaching physical and mental health problems
- and now, as a result dentists are noting that teeth grinding and jaw clenching, known as bruxism, also seem to be on the rise. I hope, through this article, we shine the light on that topic to help our patients.
If you regularly grind your teeth, you may have a condition called bruxism. It can hurt your:
- Jaw muscles
- Teeth
- Temporomandibular joints (TMs), which connect your jawbone to your skull and allow you to open and close your mouth
So What are the types of bruxism?
Bruxism can happen when you're awake or asleep. The grinding action is the same, but awake and asleep bruxism are considered two separate conditions:
- Awake bruxism: You clench your jaw and grind your teeth during the day with this condition. It's usually tied to emotional issues. Feeling anxious, stressed or angry can lead to teeth grinding. But so can concentrating on something. Awake bruxism often doesn't need treatment, if you're more likely to notice and stop. Stress management can help and learning ways to become aware can also help reduce the frequency.
- Sleep bruxism: You grind your teeth while asleep with this form, which may cause more harm. You may not get the help you need since you're unaware it is happening. Another challenge with sleep bruxism is that people don't realize how strong they're clenching their jaw and teeth. They can use up to 250 pounds of force, causing jaw pain and teeth problems. Clenching can also lead to headaches.
While the causes of bruxism are largely unknown, some experts believe this behavior is related to sleep patterns and processes within the central nervous system. There are a few risk factors that are associated with increased rates of bruxism, including anxiety, highly stressful life circumstances and respiratory obstruction( sleep apnea) -
- all things that have increased across the population in the last couple years
*Management:
- Night guards: (custom made night guard which we provide in the office). they do not stop patients from clenching and grinding, but it does protect the teeth and joint while doing so.
- Ways to reduce stress:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of talk therapy that can help reduce stressExercise
- Meditation.
- Physical therapy. (We can refer you)
3- Botox injections: targeting the clenching muscles and decrease their hyper activity (We have this in office!)