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Bruxism or teeth grinding is a problem that many people struggle with, not always consciously. Bruxism can have serious consequences: problems with the spine, eyesight, hearing, headaches. Treatment of bruxism is multi-stage and multi-specialist.

Your partner or roommate complains that you make unpleasant noises at night, reminiscent of … creaking? Don't take it lightly.Teeth grinding , i.e.bruxism , it is not only a troublesome nervous ailment.

Unawareness of bruxism leads to complications

The disease becomes a social problem. More and more patients are complaining about it. Specialists suspect that it already affects more than half of the population! Some people do not even know that they suffer from bruxism or simply ignore it. Unfortunately, still few patients realize that the simple grinding of teeth can have more serious consequences than the abrasion of the enamel.

It's a pity, because if left untreated, it causes severe head and face aches, problems with the spine, hearing and eyesight. Often, doctors cannot find a specific culprit for all ailments, and it turns out that sometimes it is enough to visit a good orthodontist and neurologist.

Bruxism: from the teeth, through the spine, to the ankle joints

Bruxism is the professional name for involuntary clenching and grinding of teeth. When this happens, a person clenches the jaw up to 10 times harder than when, for example, eating. Over time, damage to the teeth, periodontium and temporomandibular joints appear. But not only.

Imbalances in overstretched masseter and mimic muscles, through the system of fascial pathways, and the common system of vascularization and innervation, are transmitted further to the subcopic muscles, the shoulder girdle, paraspinal muscles, the muscles of the hip girdle and further to the area of ​​the ankle joints .

This system of transmitting tension and symptoms is well known to physiotherapists involved in manual therapy. Temporomandibular joint dysfunctions affect other human systems, therefore very oftenmalocclusioncoexist with posture defects.

Further disturbances in the balance of muscle tensions cause gradual changes in the bone and joint system.

Bruxism - causes

The human body consists of different parts that are combined into a single whole. Dysfunctionone organ has a direct influence on other systems. Pain in various areas of the head, the neck muscles, as well as the muscles around the spine and the shoulder girdle, may be a symptom of bruxism. Many people who suffer from headache in the temporal and frontal area believe they have migraines.

In fact, 80% of people suffer from bruxism. Migraine is a neurological and vascular disease. During an attack, the blood vessels in the brain narrow, and a large amount of serotonin is secreted at the same time. Severe pain is one of its symptoms.

In the case of bruxism, headaches arise as a result of increased tension in the muscles of the head and neck. The source of this tension are excessive and often asymmetric overloads within the masticatory system. What causes them? Malocclusion, poorly fitting fillings, bridges, dentures, crowns or chewing gum. These are not all reasons.

Doctors believe that tooth clenching is a psychosomatic disorder, similar to gastric ulcer disease. So the reason for bruxism, apart from the "short-circuit" factor, is also the "psychic" factor, that is simply long-term stress and strong tension.

Only the coexistence of these two factors and specific tissue susceptibility leads to the full symptoms of the disease.

Various symptoms of bruxism

Teeth:

  • abrasion and cracking of teeth
  • loosening of teeth
  • wedge cavities

Gum:

  • periodontitis
  • bleeding gums
  • cheek biting
  • biting your tongue

Temporomandibular joints:

  • pain in the area of ​​the temporal joints or the angle of the jaw
  • crackling and jumping of the lower jaw (not always) when opening the mouth wide
  • disturbed mandible path when opening or closing the mouth
  • limited mobility of the mandible

Muscle:

  • one or bilateral hypertrophy of the muscles of the face and possibly the neck - the so-called "square face"
  • spontaneous or pressure soreness
  • muscle contractures
  • limited head mobility

Sight:

  • soreness around the eye sockets
  • the feeling of blowing up the eye
  • dry eye
  • periodic blurred vision

Hearing:

  • tinnitus
  • earaches
  • imbalance

Bruxism diagnosis and treatment

The symptoms of this disease are very characteristic, therefore it is relatively easy to diagnose them. - All kinds of tooth occlusion dysfunctions and imbalances of chewing forces revealed in the course of specialist tests prove thathigh probability of bruxism. - explains Dr. Jarosław Iwanicki.

- However, it should be remembered that there are many reasons for its formation. The information obtained from the medical interview regarding the lifestyle, type of work, mental structure of the patient, past diseases and injuries, current "other" ailments greatly facilitate and accelerate the correct diagnosis - he adds.

Not always one specialist will help. Treatment is multi-stage and multi-specialist. Apart from cystophysiological care, it is very important to cooperate with dentists of all speci alties, and above all with orthodontists and prosthetists. Often, doctors recommend wearing a special overlay on the teeth at night, which prevents abrasion, aligning the bite, as well as relaxing and changing the lifestyle.

Therefore, it is also important to cooperate with a neurologist, psychologist and manual therapist, as well as with experts in many other fields, if the patient suffers from additional diseases.

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Category:

Dentistry and Orthodontics