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Bruxism
A Stressful Condition: Clenching & Grinding
People exposed to chronic stress or high-pressure situations can develop a damaging habit known as bruxism: unconsciously biting down with too much force at non-mealtimes. It can happen at night or during the day, is generally found in about one third of the population, and is more prevalent amongst women. The inappropriate tendency to constantly clench or grind the teeth may be related to poor stress management, since bruxers are often those personality types who react to stress with anger, pain, frustration, or aggressively and competitively. Or sometimes, it's a conscious attempt to force the upper and lower teeth to touch at all times. People with bruxism may have other 'biting' habits as well, such as biting fingernails, pencils, lips, or the insides of their cheeks. In any case, it’s a harmful habit that wears down biting surfaces, causes bite imbalances, and can lead to serious dental problems.
A Tiny Joint: Tremendous Troubles
You may spend most of your life unaware of the important little triangular-shaped joints located in front of each of your ears. Lined with cartilage, these joints move with a smooth, gliding motion. Under normal conditions, they join your lower jaw and temporal bone, allowing your mouth to open and close. However, stress-related reactions can wear down that cartilage exposing nerve endings and creating jaw pain. In fact, the temporomandibular joint is highly sensitive to overall physical, emotional and psychological stress. Further, it's affected by the mechanics of your bite and the condition of your jaw muscles. So, a little extra stress, a little extra fatigue, a little change in your bite, and you may temporarily knock the whole system out of balance. That’s why it’s not uncommon in our fast-paced society to hear of people with temporomandibular joint disorder, commonly called TMJ disorder or TMD. TMJ can cause a wide variety of mild to severe symptoms, from jaw clicking and minor discomfort to sharp pain in your temple, ear, jaws and teeth. It can even prevent you from fully opening your mouth, ‘lock’ your jaw open, or dislocate your jaw altogether.
A Thorough Evaluation: Treatment & Solutions
You can see why Dr. Shannon automatically evaluates our patients for
TMJ, so that we can help arrest the problem, protect your teeth from further
damage, and correct any underlying bite malfunction. This may involve
fitting you with a hard acrylic physiologic bite appliance, suggesting
ways to alleviate stress, and recommending symptom relief measures. For
example, you'll need to avoid chewing gum or hard, chewy food, take small
bites, and alternate chewing between both sides of your mouth. Good nutrition
will help the joint heal more quickly and good posture will also help
relieve discomfort. It's important to keep your back straight, hold your
head in a relaxed and upright position, avoid cradling a telephone between
your head and shoulder, and sleep on your side or back. To relieve soreness,
light temple and jaw massage will stimulate circulation and relax the
muscles; for actual bouts of pain, alternating moist heat and cold for
20 minutes will further increase circulation. Finally, over the counter
anti-inflammatories or analgesics can be very helpful as well.
