Treatment of Clenching and Grinding

Bruxism is a habit of clenching and grinding the teeth. Clenching means you tightly hold your top and bottom teeth together.  Grinding occurs when you slide your teeth back and forth over each other.  People who suffer from bruxism may experience the following:

• Headaches
• Sore Jaw
• Wear and breaking of teeth
• Frequent toothaches
• Facial pain
• Worn or fractured tooth enamel
• Ear ache and Vertigo
• Insomnia

How do you develop bruxism?
Bruxism can develop at any age, and children as well as adults can have the habit of grinding their teeth. Stressful situations sleep disorders, an abnormal bite, and crooked or missing teeth may be responsible. We can diagnose bruxism by looking for unusual wear spots on your teeth, and regular dental checkups are important to detect damage in the early stages. We can treat wear on teeth and facial pain that may result from bruxism.

How is bruxism treated?
Stress reduction, nutritional factors and exercises may help. Nightguards are helpful for bruxism caused by sleep disorders, crooked or missing teeth or stress. Custom-made to fit your teeth, the night-guard slips over the upper or lower teeth and prevents contact between them. It helps relieve some of the pressure of grinding or clinching, which can damage jaw joints, muscles and teeth.

Treatment for those with abnormal bite may involve reducing the "high spots" on one or more teeth. For serious cases, your dentist may suggest reshaping or constructing the bite surfaces with inlays or crowns.