Have you been diagnosed with Bruxism? Do you suspect your grind your teeth? How can you identify the known causes of Bruxism, in order to treat them? You can treat your entire body, work with a medical and dental team, and take care of yourself.
Bruxism
What is bruxism? Bruxism is a condition which unconsciously effects people when they are awake or asleep, and involuntarily activates the Mastication muscles. These muscles are the chewing force of your mouth, and if there is no food in your mouth, your teeth are what is getting chewed. Over time this can cause damage to your teeth, jaw, and inner ear. Bruxism can be linked to other sleeping conditions, like apnea or restlessness, and can increase your chance of developing them.
What effects does Bruxism have?
Bruxism causes pain in your mouth or teeth. Over time it can also erode your teeth or certain areas of your teeth evenly. It can wreak havoc on your mouth if you have underlying tooth or gum conditions, and even causes tooth loss. It can also exacerbate or initiate Temporomandibular jaw pain (TMJ). If you are routinely noticing pain in your ear, jaw, or teeth whenever your jaw clenches of in the morning when you wake, you should consult with a professional about Bruxism.
Symptoms of Bruxism
* Headaches- Headaches of the Tension Variety or headaches around your temples are one common symptom of Bruxism. This is related to the way your jaw and teeth are clenching. This constraint can cause tension up the jaw, ear, and into your headache.
* Tooth erosion, degradation, and pain. Have you ever broken a tooth? You notice! You will also notice slight adjustments in your teeth when your check them with your tongue. Certain areas may be more or less sharp, and they may hurt more.
* Restless sleep. Bruxism is a sign that you are not sleeping well. Your Automatic nervous system is reacting to repeated micro-arousals, short intervals where you awake, and causing your muscles to react.
* Jaw size and appearance. You jaw may become more noticeable, and may change shape or size. Severe bruxism can have lingering effects on TMJ issues and even craniofacial disorders. This is a bit hyperbolic, but you do not want to let this problem go unchecked for so long that it has immutable effects.
* Earaches. Ear pain, especially inner ear pain, can be associated with jaw disorders. If you have this in conjunction with other symptoms, teeth grinding may be one of the causes.
Causes of Bruxism
Bruxism has no one reason or underlying cause. There is usually a plethora, a perfect storm, or other issues which are causing this reaction.
1. Poor sleep and sleep habits. You are not sleeping through the night, and this restlessness is affecting your health. Mental health, physical health, and dental health are all affected by your sleep habits. This causes increased stress, which causes Bruxism.
2. Stress. Stress is a bad thing for your body. It causes all kinds of disorders, one of which is bruxism. The cause and effect relationship or bruxism is not fully defined, but stress is a factor. Consider stress reducing activities and apps to treat yourself holistically, as well as medically.
3. Other Sleep disorders. The amalgam of other conditions has causal effects on your sleep and bruxism. If you have sleep apnea, you are more likely to developing bruxism and cause teeth grinding. If you have bruxism, you are more likely to cause apnea. Treat them the same way, reduce stress, exercise, and lose weight.
4. Exercise. An apple a day is nice, so is raising your heart rate for at least 150 minutes a week. Routinely exercising will cause weight loss, lower your heart rate, reduce stress, and decrease bruxism and its’ effects.
See your dentist regularly and take care of yourself and your teeth.