Sleep Bruxism – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

If you find yourself waking up with sore jaw muscles or a headache, you may be suffering from bruxism the grinding and clenching of teeth. Bruxism can cause teeth to become painful or loose, and sometimes parts of the teeth are literally ground away. Eventually, bruxism can destroy the surrounding bone and gum tissue. It can also lead to problems involving the jaw joint, such as temporomandibular joint syndrome.

Bruxism is when you clench or grind your teeth. Clenching means you tightly hold your top and bottom teeth together, especially the back teeth. Clenching puts pressure on the muscles, tissues, and other structures around your jaw. This can lead to jaw pain and soreness, headaches, earaches, damaged teeth, and other problems. The symptoms can cause temporomandibular joint problems

Bruxism involves any type of forceful contact between the teeth, whether silent and clenching, or loud and grating. Estimates vary regarding the number of people who suffer from this condition and range from 50-95% of the adult population. Approximately 15% of all children also acquire this condition. Many people are not aware that they have this condition because they grind their teeth at night while asleep, although bruxism can occur during daytime hours as well. Causes of bruxism are unknown, one study links it with such factors as anxiety, stress, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, caffeine, sleep apnea, snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness. Importantly, psychiatric or psychological factors do not play a role in most cases. Use of certain medications, including amphetamines, are also associated with episodes of bruxism. Sleep apnea may also be related to sleep bruxism, and evidence suggests that treating sleep apnea can help alleviate sleep bruxism.

Symptoms & Diagnosis Characteristics of sleep bruxism include clenching or grinding of canines or incisors laterally or grinding of the molars. The friction is also occasionally accompanied with a loud grinding sound. Tooth damage and loss, as well as occlusal disease, can occur over time if the condition is severe. In addition daytime headaches, jaw pain, and atypical facial pain can also be an effect.

Dental problems Suppressed anger High levels of alcohol consumption Stress Masticatory muscle discomfort Complications of Huntington’s disease Symptoms of Sleep Bruxism Worn tooth enamel, exposing the inside of your tooth Earache Jaw muscle discomfort Headache Sore gums Disturbed sleep Eating disorders Chronic facial pain Increased tooth sensitivity Treatment for Sleep Bruxism Most cases of bruxism are mild and may never require treatment. Occasional bruxism may not be harmful but when it occurs regularly, it may be associated with moderate to severe dental damage, facial pain, and disturbed sleep.

Finding ways to relax ” Because everyday stress seems to be a major cause of bruxism, anything that reduces stress can help-listening to music, reading a book, taking a walk or a bath. It may help to seek counseling to learn effective ways for handling stressful situations. Also, applying a warm, wet washcloth to the side of your face can help relax muscles sore from clenching.

Massage the muscles of the neck, shoulders, and face. Search carefully for small, painful nodules called trigger points that can refer pain throughout the head and face. Learn physical therapy stretching exercises to help the restore a normal balance to the action of the muscles and joint on each side of the head. Apply ice or wet heat to sore jaw muscles. Either can have a beneficial effect.

 -- Stop Sleep Bruxism and Live Free Today! --

Eliminate Teeth Grinding and TMJ

There are people who clench or grind teeth while sleeping. If you have this mannerism at night, although you are not aware of it, still it is something that raises concerns to most people especially to your roommate, family or spouse. They could tell you that you are grinding teeth while sleeping and they are too concerned because they are often annoyed by the sound you make in the middle of the night. You have to find a way to eliminate teeth grinding to help yourself and the people around you.

This problem is not given much attention because most people who have this habit of teeth grinding are not aware of it unless someone told them. But aside from the annoying sound you make at night that disturbs people around you, you must be concern too with other effects or health risks that you may suffer in the future. That is why it is important to eliminate teeth grinding to avoid heath issues in the future.

Some of the effects of teeth grinding includes cracks in the teeth or worst tooth loss because of too much clenching and pressure. Headaches and earaches during the day are also common problems associated with teeth grinding. Another problem that may arise is pain in the jaw or jaw joint problem called TMJ or temporomandibular joint problem. You have to find ways to eliminate teeth grinding before it could become chronic leading to other health problems.

To eliminate teeth grinding, you have to understand what causes this involuntary habit while sleeping. Knowing the cause will help you know what you need to do to finally eliminate teeth grinding. Stress is one factor that could lead to clenching of teeth at night. This involuntary mannerism serves as an outlet of your stress while you are sleeping. Psychological or mental problem is also another factor that could trigger it. And lastly, misalignment of teeth could also cause this problem.

To totally eliminate teeth grinding, you have to address what causes it. Try to live a stress-free life or learn how to de-stress and relax. Yoga, exercises and giving yourself sometime away from work can help you manage stress. When it comes to other issues like mental problems and teeth alignment, you need to see your doctor to know the right treatment for these problems.

-- Stop Your TMJ Teeth Grinding Now! --

TMJ Treatment options in New York city

New York city, a city famous for just about everything and the city definitely keeps up to its name by providing first class TMJ treatment. The city is famous all over the country for using advanced techniques in the treatment of TMJ. A number of people suffer from this disease – temporomandibular joints disorder. However New York offers solutions in the form of various treatments to control and correct the damages done by TMJ.

If you should suffer from any of the symptoms of TMJ, then you should know that the city has many different institutions which are more than capable of handling this for you. Within no time of your treatment, you’ll notice relief from pain, and a definite pathway to recovery.

TMJ disorders are caused due to an imbalance with the jaw movement and the skull. Due to this imbalance, a person can experience various problems, from acute headaches, to stiff necks, back aches, ear aches etc. The causes of this imbalance are varied and could be anything from stress to bad dental bite. A proper diagnosis of TMJ through various medical examinations are done in order for the appropriate treatment to be administered to a patient.

TMJ treatments vary from person to person depending on their individual cases. Some patients may require little treatment, while others may require extensive treatment, and at times even the possibility of surgery. Whatever the case may be, you should know that the city has all the specialists who have the skills, expertise and provisions to administer the right type of treatment to patients. So if you live in New York or the surrounding areas and you think you have any of the TMJ symptoms, do not hesitate to make an appointment with one of the specialists, to get yourself treated. Some of them even have free, no obligation consultations.

-- End Your TMJ Misery Now! --