TeethGrindingGuide.com

Teeth Grinding can produce numerous symptoms. Here are some questions to ask yourself to see if you have any of them .

• Do I have painful teeth in the morning?

• Do I feel pain around the upper jaw below the temples while eating?

• Does my jaw hurt in the morning?

• Have my teeth flattened and worn away?

• Do I have unexplained chips in my teeth?

• Do I have frequent headaches?

• Are my teeth sensitive to cold and citrus?

• Do I awaken frequently during the night?

For a dentist the most obvious sign of tooth grinding is a typical wear pattern on the chewing surfaces of the teeth after prolonged periods of teeth grinding.  Wearing and fractures of the teeth can occur in severe cases, and tooth loss is not out of the question (I should know,it happened to me).

In typical cases of teeth grinding at night, the canine teeth and the incisors (the teeth at the front of the mouth which cut the food) are rubbed across one another causing damage to the inside and chewing surface of the teeth.

As time goes on, grinding your teeth can shorten and blunt the teeth that are being ground down by the excessive chewing behavior. The cusps of the chewing surfaces of the back teeth can become worn down as well.

The muscles involved in bruxism are the same ones that affect the temporomandibular joint. This is the jaw joint just next to (or anterior to) the ear, and is also known as ‘TMJ’.  This is a very strong joint but, over time, it can become inflamed from overuse as seen in night tooth grinding.
This, in turn, can yield to headaches caused by the TMJ inflammation.  Arthritis of the TMJ is possible in very severe cases.

The vast majority of bruxers do not know that they have the condition and fortunately, only 5-10 percent of the total go on to develop more severe symptoms like headache and jaw pain.

Usually, it is only at a visit to the dentist’s office that the problem is uncovered.

If you think you or a loved one suffers, you need to do something and get an accurate diagnosis. If nothing else to confirm whether or not you should be worried.