Teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, affects 1 in 10 adults while they’re sleeping and up to one-third of adults during the day.
Causes vary from one person to another, but daytime grinding is often triggered by stress, anxiety, tension, or even intense concentration. Nighttime grinding may be related to hyperactivity, sleep apnea, and/or acid reflux, and it can also appear as a side effect of certain medications for depression.
In addition, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs can increase your teeth-grinding risk.
At Northwoods Dental Group in Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Nathan Klabunde and his staff see many cases of teeth grinding, which can lead to serious dental complications if not treated. That’s why they want to educate people about bruxism, its causes, and its effects, so you’ll know when to seek medical help.
Over time, teeth grinding can lead to a variety of problems. These include worn down teeth, cracked or chipped teeth, jaw pain, jaw joint pain, and muscular pain in the face and neck.
Probably the best-known effect is problems with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the hinge joint that connects your jaw (mandible) to your skull and allows you to open and close your mouth. You have one such joint on either side of your head.
When the mandible and the joints are correctly aligned, the muscles move smoothly. When the joint structures (muscles, ligaments, disk, jawbone, temporal bone) aren’t aligned, the result is a TMJ disorder, or TMD, which causes pain, difficulty opening your jaw, and decreased range of motion.
Other common symptoms of TMD include:
Since TMD symptoms are common to many other health conditions, it’s important to see Dr. Klabunde to get an accurate diagnosis.
The most common form of TMD causes discomfort or pain in the connective tissue covering the muscles (fascia) that control the functioning of the jaw, neck, and shoulder. Because the muscles get tight and painful, they can radiate pain through the jaw, into the neck, and into the head, leading to tension-type headaches.
These are the most common form of headache, and they cause a steady ache that presents on both sides of the head, may feel like a band or a vice around the head, and isn’t affected by movement.
A word, now, about migraine. Migraine is a neurological disorder that likely stems from a combination of genetic and environmental causes. An attack produces a wide variety of symptoms, only one of which is pain. It also produces light, sound, and odor sensitivity; nausea and vomiting; a slowed GI tract; and difficulty focusing.
The pain itself is usually throbbing, presents on only one side of the head, and is worsened by any movement. The pain phase of a migraine attack can last up to 72 hours.
Because of their ability to tighten the muscle tissue of the jaw, head, and neck, TMJ disorders caused by teeth grinding can sometimes cause or worsen a migraine attack in those who already have the disorder.
Treating the underlying TMJ problem can usually resolve not only the problems in the jaw, but also the resulting headache/migraine attack.
Dr. Klabunde uses X-rays and a complete mouth exam to evaluate your jaw and teeth for signs of wear and/or a joint problem.
The most common treatment is a nightguard (mouthguard), which fits over your teeth and prevents the top and lower teeth from touching, which stops the grinding. Other possibilities are jaw exercises, muscle relaxers, and orthodontic treatment.
If you’ve got a sore jaw, facial pain, and are frequently waking up with a headache or a migraine attack, it’s time to come into Northwoods Dental Group for an evaluation for teeth grinding. Give our office a call at 614-333-8858 to set up a consultation with Dr. Klabunde, or book online with us today.
