Teeth grinding or bruxism is a problem that all affected persons should address. While its effect could merely
be on the physical appearance of the teeth, there could be major reasons why a person grinds his teeth at
night or during the day. It could be because he or she is suffering from an undiagnosed disease or that the
medications are causing it.
It is very important for the instances of teeth grinding to be observed, screened, and diagnosed.
More often than not, you need to go to a dentist for an initial checkup. The dentist would look for the physical
indicators of bruxism. This is not very hard to do, because if there are unusual wearing or tears on the teeth,
then the chances are high that bruxism had caused it. Aside from this, tooth sensitivity and broken or worn
dental restorations are also telltale signs of teeth grinding. The same is true with loss crowns and fractured
teeth.
If the dentist sees any of these signs, he or she will request regular appointments with you. This is
to check whether the condition is progressive or not. If it were, the dentist would proceed
to assess the extent of the problem. He would also look for changes in one's teeth or mouth areas. At that
point, he could prescribe a treatment therapy or may request for additional examinations.
Dentist would usually find the main
cause of bruxism before he prescribes a treatment course for it. He can start by asking you relevant
questions about your health, stress level, regular medications, dental health history, or even your coffee
and alcohol drinking habits. Sleeping habits may also be asked to determine if bruxism happens during
the night. At which, the doctor could request a meeting with your room mate or sleeping partner so as to learn
more about your sleeping behavior. The dentist would specifically ask if you make unusual grinding or teeth
clenching sounds during the night while sleeping.
The severity of bruxism is assessed by the full examination of one's mouth. The jaw muscles
are checked for tenderness, including all other dental abnormalities stated previously. Poor teeth
alignment, broken, and missing teeth are good indications that a person's
bruxism is severe. But aside from your teeth and their underlying bones, the cheeks could sustain
damages from bruxism as well. There could be sores or wounds on the cheeks as they may get in the way of
teeth clenching. To help dentists assess the condition,
several x-rays of the jaws and the mouth will be requested.
Bruxism may possibly affect the ears as much as the jaw and the cheeks. Dental disorders
such as temporomandibular joint disorder may be detected as well. Dentist will try to provide the necessary
treatment from his end. But if other disorders surface, like otitis media or ear infection, he would have
to refer you to an ear expert to provide you with the proper treatment procedure for that. Another series
of examinations may be required.
There are cases that bruxism is caused by psychological disorders, lack of sleep, or stress.
If your dentist suspects that these are the root causes of your bruxism, he would most probably refer you
to a psychiatrist, therapist, or councilor. These experts should be able to help you out with your condition
more.
Bruxism should be properly addressed the moment it is detected. A lot people assume that
teeth grinding is nothing but a harmless habit. But with the type of medical attention provided to people
suffering from bruxism, it is important you get the right course of treatment to prevent further damage to
the teeth and eventually, to one's health.