Limit teeth grinding while sleeping

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Trung Hau - Doctor of Odonto-Stomatology - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital.
Teeth grinding while sleeping is one of the manifestations when the body has a movement disorder during sleep. Although not too dangerous, in the long run, biting your teeth while sleeping can lead to some unpredictable dental complications, adversely affecting tooth enamel, causing pain in the teeth, jaw and face or more dangerously. causing patients to suffer from chronic jaw joint and muscle pain, temporomandibular disorders.

1. Learn about the phenomenon of teeth grinding while sleeping

There are many people who suffer from bruxism while sleeping, this phenomenon is not only annoying and uncomfortable for the person sleeping with it, but also causes the patient's teeth and jaw to be damaged.
Teeth grinding is a condition of clenching teeth while sleeping, related to movement disorders in sleep. To be more specific, people who grind their teeth while sleeping, their teeth will be pinned and squeezed, clenching each other to create pressure on their teeth, when strong grinding force can create a creaking sound that is difficult to hear. bear. People who grind their teeth while sleeping can also suffer from other phenomena such as snoring, sleep apnea.
To recognize bruxism while sleeping, it can be based on some of the following signs:
Clenching teeth, clenching teeth while sleeping, and emitting a creaking sound that wakes the person next to you; Damage to the cheek from chewing; Sleep is disrupted; There is a feeling of pain in the ear; Dull headache; Chipped, worn, or loose teeth; Loss of enamel and exposing the inner layers of teeth; Teeth that hurt and are more sensitive to food; Jaw muscles are less flexible, jaw fatigue, jaw tight, difficult to open and close; Pain or soreness in the jaw, neck, or face.

2. How does teeth grinding while sleeping affect health?

Most cases of teeth grinding while sleeping do not cause serious consequences, but if this situation lasts for a long time, it can affect the sleep of the patient and the sleeper and some unpredictable complications. Therefore, it is very important to learn about methods to cure teeth grinding while sleeping.
Some of the effects of bruxism during sleep include:
Headache; Face deformity; Damage to teeth, jaw, face; severe facial or jaw pain; Broken teeth, worn teeth, lost teeth; Temporomandibular joint disorder syndrome.

3. What causes teeth grinding while sleeping?

Sleep clenching can be caused by a combination of psychological, physical, and genetic factors. In addition, this phenomenon can also be caused by a number of reasons such as:
Too focused on something; Chewing agitation while sleeping; Stress, anxiety, frustration, anger; Due to age: Young children are more prone to grinding their teeth while sleeping; Due to personality: People with competitive, aggressive, excitable personalities are more prone to bruxism; Due to the use of stimulants and drugs; Teeth grinding is associated with a number of syndromes such as mental disorders, dementia, epilepsy, gastroesophageal reflux disease, night terrors...

4. How to treat teeth grinding while sleeping?

To cure teeth grinding while sleeping, the doctor will base on the cause of this condition and determine what level the patient is at, so it is necessary to check:
The level of pain in the jaw muscles in the patient ; Whether the patient has lost or broken teeth; Check for bone damage below and inside the patient's cheek; Check for disorders that can cause jaw or ear pain and other dental problems or health conditions. During sleep bruxism treatment, if the cause is related to sleep problems, your doctor may recommend that you see a sleep specialist to determine if you have sleep apnea. no and to what extent do you grind your teeth while sleeping. If the cause is psychological, the patient may see a psychologist for psychological treatment first.
When treating teeth grinding during sleep, the doctor will suggest measures to help improve and protect oral health for the patient, to help prevent or correct tooth wear caused by sleep grinding, concurrently administering the drug to the patient. Some common medications used to treat bruxism include: muscle relaxants, Botox injections (used in cases of severe sleep bruxism and unresponsive to other treatments), medications help manage anxiety, stress or fight depression...
In addition, a number of dental interventions can be used to treat bruxism, including:
Jaw guards: The patient will be Use an anti-crushing tray while sleeping to protect your teeth. This appliance can be made of soft material or hard acrylic and is designed to keep teeth separate and prevent damage to the teeth; Orthodontics: If wearing an anti-bruxism tray while sleeping makes the patient feel uncomfortable, orthodontic measures can be used to repair the damage on the teeth.

5. Some measures to limit teeth grinding while sleeping

In parallel with the application of measures to cure teeth grinding while sleeping, patients can apply a number of measures to limit teeth grinding by:
Mood control: Limiting the body to fall into a tense psychological state stress, anxiety, excessive stress, instead, learn to help yourself relax and get rest; Change habits and behaviors: As soon as you find yourself grinding your teeth while sleeping, try to change your behavior by implementing appropriate mouth and jaw positions. You can consult a dentist in this case. Change eating and living habits: Minimize the use of beverages containing caffeine and alcohol, and at the same time build a healthy and nutritious diet; Limit the habit of chewing things that are not food such as pencils, gum, mints.... Add foods containing calcium and magnesium in your daily diet; Relax before bed to fall asleep more easily and better. If grinding your teeth while sleeping causes a lot of trouble, greatly affecting your quality of life but cannot be improved with home interventions, you can go to Vinmec International General Hospital system to are examined by modern technical means, under the implementation and advice of a team of leading dental doctors.

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