Teeth grinding or Bruxism

Teeth grinding or bruxism is the excessive grinding of the teeth without any functional purpose causing trauma to occlusal surfaces of the teeth and its restorations, temporomandibular disorders, or headaches and is considered one of the parafunctional activities of the oral cavity. Parafunctional activities are the oromandibular or lingual activities, which occur without any functional purpose; they include tongue thrusting, nail biting, lip biting, cheek biting, thumb sucking, etc. They are different from normal functional activities like chewing, swallowing, speaking, etc.

 

Types:

1.       Teeth grinding during the daytime in a semi-conscious state is called Awake Bruxism (AB) or Diurnal Bruxism (DB).

2.      Grinding of the teeth in sleep which occurs both day time or night time is called Sleep Bruxism (SB). This is a movement disorder caused by grinding or clenching teeth occurring in sleep and is considered a sleep-related movement disorder.

 

Causes of Bruxism:

Tooth grinding is considered to have a multifactorial etiology.

1.       Psychological influences such as depression, stress, or anxiety in a healthy individual are the most reported causes of awake bruxism.

2.      Some medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as paroxetine or fluoxetine can cause teeth grinding.

3.      Sleep disturbances like sleep apnoea or snoring are observed in people suffering from sleep bruxism.

4.      Parafunctional activities such as smoking, consuming alcohol, or caffeine can cause.

5.      Few reports suggested that the people affected with Bruxism have a minor imbalance in the neurotransmitters of the brain.

 

Symptoms:

●        Wearing of the occlusal surface of the teeth or the occlusal restorations of the teeth. Damage on the surface of teeth or tongue indentations.

●        Disturbed sleep.

●        Soreness or pain in the face, neck, or ear region.

●        Sometimes associated with headaches.

●        Disturbances in the temporomandibular joint such as pain, clicking sounds, locking, or dislocation.

 

Management:

●        Occlusal therapy: Appliances such as mouth guards are given to the patients to avoid future damage to the teeth by dentists in India. These appliances are mostly advised for patients with sleep bruxism as an overnight preventive treatment. But, in a few cases, these are advised to awake bruxism patients to absorb force from biting during the day as well.

●        Behavioral therapy: It is a method to mold the behavior of the patient. The doctor helps in changing the attitude of the patient and controls the feelings such as depression, anger, anxiety, etc. Also teaches the patient about the placement of the tongue, teeth, and lips during rest. Biofeedback is an aid to help in behavior management; a method involving an electronic instrument for measuring the muscle activity of the mouth and jaw; so when there is uncontrolled or excessive muscle activity, which signifies the necessity of behavior modification.

●        Medications: Antidepressants need to be changed if they are the cause of teeth grinding. Medicines are advised for balancing the neurotransmitters of the brain by dentists in India in cases of awake bruxism.

 

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