Bruxism is the medical term for teeth grinding, whereby your teeth grind against each other. Occasionally grinding your teeth is entirely normal, but when your grind your teeth excessively it can lead to complications and other oral health problems. Bruxism occurs during sleep and we know that it rarely occurs alone – it usually occurs alongside a sleep disorder or as an excessive response that happens if an individual wakes up during the night.
Research has very consistently found that bruxism occurs more frequently in individuals who have sleep disorders, especially sleep disorders that cause loud breathing, snoring and frequent arousals such as sleep apnea. Other sleep disorders that are associated with bruxism include sleep paralysis, sleep talking, and movement during sleep such as PLMD or RLS. Hallucinations and night terrors are also more common in individuals with bruxism.
Obstructive sleep apnea seems to be the sleep disorder that causes the most pronounced bruxism response because it is associated with frequent arousals throughout the night. Bruxism doesn’t only occur with a sleep disorder however and it is often caused by stress, anxiety or other emotional problems. Stress is considered to play a big part in the onset of many illnesses and diseases, so it’s no surprise that it plays a big part in bruxism. How stressed you are and how able you are to deal with that stress will play a large part in whether you end up dealing with bruxism – for example, you could be dealing with stress but be relatively able to cope with it, so you won’t end up grinding your teeth – it really depends on your perceptions of your stress levels.
Bruxism can also be caused by a number of lifestyle factors, including smoking, drinking, drug use, being young and having a high educational status (related to stress). Using any substance that affects your mood or your hormones will increase your chances of developing bruxism, as these all increase the chance that you’ll have frequent arousals during sleep and thus more chance of grinding your teeth.
So how can you treat bruxism? Usually, your doctor will recommend a few lifestyle changes for you to try before they give you any medical treatments, and these lifestyle changes are outlined below.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine, smoking or drug use ideally all of the time, or cut down and don’t use any of these substances for six hours before bed
- Don’t chew on any item that is not food – no pencils or pens, as this gets your mouth used to clenching and chewing on things that are not designed to be chewed on, so you’re more likely to grind your teeth
- Relax your jaw muscles by doing exercises to loosen any tension or by using heated pads or a warm washcloth held against your face. Loosening any tension and relaxing your face means that you’ll be less likely to clench your jaw through the night
- Do some exercises throughout the day to train yourself not to grind your teeth. If you find yourself with the urge to grind your teeth or you find yourself grinding your teeth, poke your tongue between your teeth and this should stop it from happening.
If none of the above steps works to treat your bruxism, your doctor could prescribe you a muscle relaxant to help stop the muscles in your jaw from clenching. If stress is known to be the cause, ask your doctor about stress relieving techniques such as therapy or counselling. If sleep apnea is known to be the cause, your bruxism should cease once you begin treatment that stops the apnoeic events and therefore the arousals,such as CPAP.