Department of Preventive and
Community Dentistry
What is bruxism?
• Bruxism is the medical term for grinding,
gnashing or clenching your teeth. This
condition affects both kids and adults.
• Some people with bruxism unconsciously
clench their teeth together during the day,
often when they feel anxious or tense.called as bruxomania
• Most kids who have bruxism — and some
adults with the condition — grind or gnash
their teeth during sleep, usually in the
early part of the night. This is called sleep
bruxism.
Why Bruxism should be treated?
• In most cases, bruxism is mild and may not
even require treatment. However, it can be
frequent and violent and can lead to jaw
disorders, headaches, damaged teeth and
other problems.
• Unfortunately, people with sleep bruxism
usually aren't aware of the habit, so they
aren't diagnosed with the condition until
complications occur. That's why it's
important to know the signs and symptoms
of bruxism and to seek regular dental care.
Causes
• Doctors don't completely
understand the causes of
bruxism.
• In some adults, abnormal
alignment of upper and lower
teeth (malocclusion) may
contribute to the problem.
• More often, psychological
factors cause bruxism,
including:
• Anxiety, stress or tension
• Suppressed anger or
frustration
• Aggressive, competitive or
hyperactive personality type
• In children, bruxism may
be related to growth and
development. Some
researchers think children
brux because their top and
bottom teeth don't fit
together comfortably.
• Others believe that
children grind their teeth
because of tension, anger,
allergy problems, or as a
response to pain from an
earache or teething.
• Bruxism occurs in up to
30 percent of children,
often around the ages of
5 and 6.
• It's particularly common
in children with cerebral
palsy or severe mental
retardation.
• But most children
outgrow bruxism before
they get their adult teeth.
• In some cases, bruxism
is n't caused by stress
or dental problems.
• It can be a complication
of another disorder,
such as Huntington's
disease or Parkinson's
disease.
• It can also be an
uncommon side effect
of some psychiatric
medications including
antidepressants.
Signs and symptoms
• Teeth grinding or
clenching, which may be
loud enough to wake
your sleep partner
• Teeth that are worn
down, flattened or
chipped
• Worn tooth enamel,
exposing the inside of
your tooth, Increased
tooth sensitivity
• Jaw pain or tightness in
your jaw muscles
• Earache — because of
violent jaw muscle
contractions, not a
problem with your ear
• Dull morning headache
• Chronic facial pain
• Chewed tissue on the
inside of your cheek
Risk factors
• Stress:- Increased anxiety or stress
can lead to teeth grinding. So can
anger and frustration.
• Age:- Bruxism is common in young
children, but usually goes away by
age 10. In adults, the condition is
common between the late teen years
and the 40s. It tends to decrease with
older age.
• Caffeine, nicotine and other drugs.
Using caffeine, tobacco, cocaine or
amphetamines seems to increase the
risk of bruxism.
Screening and diagnosis
• Physical signs of bruxism:• unusual wear and tear on your
teeth
• Broken dental restorations and
tooth sensitivity.
• stress level, general dental
health, daily medications
• Dentist may also ask your
roommate or bed partner about
sleep habits, especially about any
unusual grinding sounds heard
during the night.
• Checking for tenderness in jaw
muscles
• Obvious dental abnormalities,
such as broken or missing teeth
or poor tooth alignment.
• Dentist will also inspect teeth,
the underlying bone and the
inside of cheeks for damage
caused by bruxism. He or she
may make a series of X-rays of
your mouth and jaw.
When to seek medical advice
• Because bruxism often goes
unnoticed, be aware of its signs
and symptoms.
• If you have worn teeth or pain
in your jaw, face or ear.
• Consult your doctor or dentist if
your bed partner complains that
you make a grinding noise while
you sleep.
Complications
In most cases, bruxism doesn't
cause serious complications.
But severe bruxism may lead to:
• Damage to your teeth or jaw
• Tension-type headaches
• Facial pain
• Temporomandibular disorders
— which occur in the
temporomandibular joints
(TMJs), located just in front of
your ears and felt when opening
and closing your mouth
Treatment
• In many cases, no
treatment is necessary.
Many kids outgrow
bruxism without special
treatment, and many
adults don't brux badly
enough to require
therapy. However, if the
problem is severe,
treatment options
include:
1) Stress management.
• If you grind your teeth because of
stress, you may be able to prevent
the problem with professional
counseling that promote
relaxation, such as exercise and
meditation.
• If your child grinds his or her teeth
because of tension or fear, it may
help to talk about your child's
fears just before bed or to help
your child relax with a warm bath
or a favorite book
2) Dental approaches.
• Mouth guard or protective
dental appliance (splint) to
prevent damage to your teeth.
Dentist can make a custom
mouth guard to fit mouth.
• Over-the-counter mouth
guards are available and
they're less expensive than
custom guards, but they
generally don't fit well and can
dislodge during bruxing.
• If bruxism seems to stem from
dental problems, dentist may also
correct misaligned teeth.
• In severe cases — when tooth
wear has led to sensitivity or the
inability to chew properly — your
dentist may need to use overlays
or crowns to entirely reshape the
chewing surfaces of your teeth.
3) Behavior therapy.
• Once you discover that you have
bruxism, you may be able to change
the behavior by practicing proper
mouth and jaw position.
“Concentrate on resting your tongue
upward with your teeth apart and your
lips closed. This should keep your
teeth from grinding and your jaw from
clenching.”
4) Biofeedback
• Therapist applies electrical sensors to
different parts of your body. These
sensors monitor your body's
physiological responses to stress —
such as teeth grinding — and then feed
the information back to you via auditory
and visual cues (beeping sound or a
flashing light). With this feedback, you'll
start to associate teeth grinding or
clenching with stress and learn to
change your behavior.
5)Medications.
• Medications aren't very effective for
treatment of bruxism. Doctor may
suggest taking a muscle relaxant
before bedtime.
• If you develop bruxism as a side
effect of an antidepressant
medication, your doctor may change
your medication or prescribe another
medication to counteract your
bruxism.
• Botulinum toxin (Botox) injections
may help some people with severe
bruxism that hasn't responded to
other treatments.
Self-care
• These self-care steps may prevent or help
treat bruxism:
• Limit alcohol, tobacco and caffeine.
• Reduce stress. Keeping your life stresses to
a minimum
• Consult your sleep partner- ask him or her to
be aware of any grinding or clicking sounds
that you might make while sleeping.
• Have regular dental examinations.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
• CLINICAL PERIDONTOLOGYCARRANZA
• TEXT BOOK OF ORAL PATHOLOGYSHAFER’S;PURKAIT;NEVILL
• TEXT BOOK OF ORAL MEDICINEBURKETTE
• WWW.THEDENTALONLINE.COM
That’s all………….!!!!
Wish u a stress free life…….
THANK YOU……………!!!