Dentistry >>>> How to cure bruxism?

How to cure bruxism?

Bruxism is the grinding of teeth uncontrollable by a person. Usually this condition occurs during sleep, and not everyone who suffers from bruxism knows about it, unless the people living together with the person pay his attention to this fact.

The reasons for teeth grinding are not yet fully understood, but in medicine there are several theories about the origin of bruxism, and, based on these theories, you can compile a list of possible causes of bruxism:

Disorders of the central nervous system, causing uncontrolled spasm of the chewing muscles;
Emotional overload, leading to constant tension of the muscles, including the masticatory muscles;
Consequences of birth trauma;
Group of diseases: parkinsonism, chorea, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, trigeminal nerve damage.

The consequences of bruxism are much more likely to draw attention to themselves than the very fact of gnashing of teeth. Usually, at rest, the upper and lower jaws are slightly open (by a few millimeters), which allows the chewing muscles to relax. With bruxism, due to the fact that the chewing muscles are constantly tense and do not relax even during sleep, the facial muscles are also tense and do not rest, which can cause dizziness, headaches, spasms of the facial muscles, neuralgic pains or pain in the temporomandibular joint, as well as changes in the joint (flattening of the articular tubercle or articular disc, which disrupts and modifies movements in the joint, changes the height of the bite and leads to early pathologies of the bite).

Due to bruxism, tightly closed teeth experience excessive pressure and quickly wear out and break down. Dental prosthetics with bruxism is also difficult due to the fact that plastic prostheses wear out faster and require replacement, ceramic crowns located opposite healthy teeth begin to destroy tooth enamel and, accordingly, spoil healthy teeth.

Bruxism in childhood will lead to improper formation of the dentition, distorted bite, underestimated bite.

Treating bruxism is not easy. It requires the consultation of several specialists: a neurologist, an osteopath, a dentist. After the diagnosis of diseases that have become a possible cause of bruxism and the therapeutic treatment of these diseases, they proceed directly to the prevention of teeth grinding: they use drugs that relax muscle muscles at night (muscle relaxants), anticonvulsants (if necessary) and make special sleep guards that forcibly open the jaws and prevent their involuntary closure. These mouthguards are made individually from flexible plastic. Mouthguards do not eliminate bruxism, but protect the teeth from pathological abrasion, the temporomandibular joint from injuries and pathologies, and the chewing and facial muscles from excessive strain.