Teeth Grinding Bruxism Today we are going to talk about teeth clenching or grinding. In the Dental world we call it Bruxism. Bruxism is the medical term for the grinding of teeth or the clenching of jaws. Many people have it ( 3 out of every 10 kids will grind or clench, experts say, most outgrow it.) But make sure there is not an underlying cause before you just accept your child will outgrow it. Bruxism often happens during deep sleep phases or when kids and adults are under stress. If you have bruxism, you may knowingly or unconsciously clench or grind your teeth. You may or may not have heard about this or you have experienced it personally. You may have a loved one that grinds or even wears a guard to help protect the teeth from wear or fractures. . A lot of people Clench or grind their teeth during the day, while they are awake, even more people do it at night when they're sleeping. Many of the patients see who do clench or grind, their teeth do not even know they are doing it unless they start developing signs and symptoms or it has damaged or broken a tooth. That would be me! Learn from my experience. My story I woke up one night to a crunch, spit out what I was feeling and realized it was my tooth. I broke it so much it needed a crown. I had a guard I had not been wearing. One I had A temprotray crown, my guard no longer fit. I also broke the temporary crown from grinding again at night while I was sleeping. This time I was out of town on a business trip and had to wait til I got back home to have the permanent crown put on. The dentist took the new tooth out of occlusion so I did not break the permanent crown. I did have a new night guard made so I would not break any more teeth. Causes of Bruxism Experts aren't always sure why bruxism happens. In some cases, especially in kids it may be that the top and bottom teeth aren't aligned properly. Or it is in response to pain, from an earache or teething. Kids might grind their teeth as a way to ease the pain, just as they might rub a sore muscle. Many kids outgrow these common causes for grinding. But it may also be a warning sign Sleep bruxism (SB) and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) are often observed in children and may have several health implications.Both obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and sleep bruxism (SB) are commonly related to interrupted sleep patterns. Stress — For both kids and Adults - nervous tension or anger is another cause. For instance, a child might worry about a test at school or a change in routine (a new sibling, a new teacher, bullying). Divorce or arguing with parents and siblings can cause enough stress to prompt teeth grinding or jaw clenching. Some kids who are hyperactive may grind or clench their teeth. And sometimes kids with other medical conditions or who take certain medicines can develop bruxism. Sign And Symptoms The most common signs and symptoms of clenching and grinding are grooves, wear in your teeth, your teeth are getting weak, shorter worn down, broken teeth or fillings, and you may develop some sensitivity to hot and cold. facial pain, headaches, earache, You may have some unexplained neck pains, shoulder pains , jaw pain, soreness of muscle or your jaw when you wake up in the morning. Tired jaw and feel like you're having the sharp shooting pain that comes in, it goes sometimes it's on your top teeth sometimes it's on your bottom teeth. Awareness is key to preventing cracked teeth and sores that they have a tooth pain but actually it is usually caused by the clenching and the grinding head and neck issues. A lot of times your sleep patterns are disrupted as well. Honestly, many doctors, dentists and the health industry in general don't exactly know or understand why or what causes clenching and grinding. A lot of times, it's blamed on stress like everything else in the medical world. It could be that psychological, genetic or physical factors are involved. Most commonly, we see clenching and grinding due to some sort of anxiety and stress, or sometimes it is a bad just a bad habit and people are not even aware of it. Most common risk factors for clenching and grinding is when there is an increased stress. We see a lot of people clenching and grinding more than the usual at any age, we see young kids around age five to six they also clench and grind, we are told they will usually outgrow it as they become adults. While that may be true, sometimes a certain kind of personality type may not outgrow it or it just becomes a nervous habit that is harder to treat as your child grows. Early intervention is best.
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