How Do You Stop Teeth Grinding?
Tooth-grinding, technically referred to as “bruxism”, is the unconscious grinding of the teeth or clenching of the jaw. Bruxism can happen both when a patient is awake or when they are asleep. The condition is fairly common, affecting approximately 8-10% of adults. Grinding the teeth or clenching the jaw every so often is normal and usually won’t cause damage; however, frequent and excessive clenching should be addressed as it may be linked to oral health issues.
What Causes Bruxism?
The actual causes of bruxism are not yet well understood. There are several factors that have been linked to teeth grinding during sleep. These factors include:
- Sleep Disorders: People with diagnosed sleep disorders are at a higher risk for developing sleep bruxism. Specifically, obstructive sleep apnea is considered to particularly increase risk for developing bruxism.
- Psychiatric or Neurologic Disorders: Bruxism may be a symptom of a pre-existing anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, or mood disorder.
- Stress: Situational stressors such as those caused by work, school, relationships, family, or money, can lead to more frequent grinding of the teeth.
- Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMJ, TMD): TMJ/TMD are conditions that affect the muscles and joints in the lower jaw. TMJ/TMD and bruxism are different conditions that are sometimes related.
- Digestion and Reflux Issues: Digestion issues are common risk factors for bruxism in part due to the increase in acid in the mouth.
- Medications: There are a number of medications that have been linked to bruxism, including ADD/ADHD medications, depression and anxiety medications, and psychiatric medications.
- Genetics: Some evidence suggests that patients may be genetically predisposed to developing bruxism, meaning if their parent has bruxism, they may be more likely to develop it.
How Do I Stop Teeth Grinding?
If you grind your teeth during sleep, there are several treatment solutions available for you. The first step you should consider if you have noticed that you are grinding your teeth is to seek the help of a medical professional, including a doctor or dentist. Additional approaches that may help you stop grinding your teeth include:
- Address underlying conditions: Sometimes bruxism is a symptom of another underlying condition and the best way to address the grinding of the teeth is to address the underlying condition. This is especially true for sleep disorders that can cause bruxism. When bruxism is linked to stress, attempting stress reduction techniques may help reduce teeth grinding during sleep.
- Alternative medications: If you grind your teeth and take medications, do some research to see if bruxism is a possible side effect of your medications. If it is, you can discuss with your doctor possible alternative medications you can try.
- Mouth guard or protective dental device: In part due to how common bruxism is in the population, there are several dental devices available to help prevent damage caused by chronic bruxism. There are two primary types of devices available for: bite splints, or mouth guards, and mandibular advancement devices (MAD). Mouth guards can protect the teeth from being damaged by chronic bruxism. MADs are designed to open the airway by moving the jaw forward during sleep.