Bruxism is a little known oral health issue that can cause very big problems for the sufferer. Today our O’Fallon dentists are going to explain what, exactly bruxism is. We’re also going to talk about what kinds of issues you may start to notice in your life if you leave bruxism untreated.
So what exactly is bruxism anyway?
Have you every felt stressed, mad, or scared, and found that you consequently involuntarily clenched your top and bottom teeth together? Well, when a patient clenches his or her teeth together chronically, we refer to this as bruxism.
Bruxism often pops up situationally—that is when a person is particularly stressed or otherwise emotional. However, many people suffer from bruxism because they have underlying bite or jaw joint issues.
Bruxism is used to describe dental grinding and/or clenching that happens chronically. This can happen day or night.
Here are some of the key ways that bruxism can take a toll on your oral health day to day:
1. As your teeth rub against one another day after day, or night after night, the dental enamel on your teeth becomes degraded. Bruxism, therefore, leads to premature enamel thinning as well as increased instances of damage and cavities.
2. Grinding and clenching put enormous strain on your TMJs (temporomandibular joints). People who suffer from bruxism, therefore, are likely to deal with jaw pain and dysfunction.
3. Headaches can also result from the stress and strain of dental grinding. Stay on the lookout especially for headaches that pop up in the morning and at night.
Our dental team offers the treatments that people need to manage bruxism and its unwanted side effects. So, if you think that bruxism may be a problem for you, please feel free to call or submit a question for our O’Fallon dentists.