You may have seen different people grinding their teeth when angry, or you also have done this once or more in life during stress or anger. Grinding teeth voluntarily is another thing, but sometimes you do it involuntarily at night; you may not feel any side effects in the beginning, but after some time, you wake up with swollen jaw and a question in mind can grinding teeth cause tooth pain?
Can Grinding Teeth Cause Tooth Pain? – The Solution
If grinding and clenching teeth become pe
It is a condition in which you grind your teeth involuntarily; it can be awake bruxism or sleep bruxism.
Awake Bruxism can be controlled quickly and is not dangerous, but sleep bruxism is a sleep-related movement disorder that can’t be handled rapidly and can cause several complications.
You may have listened to your sibling, friend, or better half saying that you disturbed their sleep because you grind your teeth at night, and you may start wondering what are its side effects and can grinding teeth cause teeth pain.
If you have such questions, we will discuss
rmanent, then it is termed bruxism.
the causes, symptoms, and treatment plan of bruxism so you can get better insight into your disease and how to control it.
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A straight and short answer to the question that if bruxism cause toothache is yes, long-term sleep Bruxism may cause tooth pain, and there are two main reasons behind this pain.
The first reason is the muscular-skeletal system clenching your teeth puts extra or unnecessary strain on your jaw muscles. This strain can result in neck, jaw, and face pain. After some time, this pain may convert into the worst type of headache.
A second and foremost side effect of grinding teeth is Toothache. When you grind your teeth, the enamel wears down slowly and exposes the dentin region of the teeth.
This will lead to the extreme pain, dentine hypersensitivity, and intolerance to Hot and Cold food and drinks.
- If teeth grinding is not treated at the early stages, then your teeth may get fractured, and the edges of the teeth become sharp, damaging the muscles of your tongue and cheeks.
Slowly the bacteria will penetrate deep into the dentine and pulp, causing decay and eventually tooth loss. This will cause extreme pain and discomfort and adversely affect the oral cavity’s function.
If you notice your sleep bruxism at a time, then the damage to your teeth can be recovered with the help of restorative dentistry through procedures such as root canal crowns, bridges, and Dental Implants.
Also See: Can A Chipped Tooth Get Infected?
What Are The Other Side Effects Of Bruxism?
In addition to toothache, many other severe disorders can be observed in the oral cavity if bruxism is not treated early. Some of the most common secondary losses include tooth fracture, wearing of teeth down to stumps, and loss of teeth eventually.
Bruxism can also change the shape of your jaw and face, deteriorate muscle, and cause severe facial disorders.
Causes
There are many types of research conducted on sleep and awake bruxism to understand the underlying cause of this disease. Still, there are no specific causes, and it is considered a combination of psychological, physical, and genetics.
Awake Bruxism
This bruxism can be easily controlled and is primarily due to extreme emotions such as anxiety, stress, anger, and rage. Some people may do it when they are thinking about something deeply.
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Sleep Bruxism
It is a sleep-related chewing disorder associated with different sleep arousals.
Risk Factors
Some factors which may increase the risk of bruxism are
Anxiety, Depression, and Stress
Psychological disorders such as anxiety, stress, and anger are the top reasons for teeth grinding in sleep.
Age
You may have observed your child grinding teeth while sleeping. It is normal for children and will gradually go away with age.
Personality Disorders
Personality disorders such as hyperactive or competitive personality can also increase the risk of teeth grinding.
Medications
It is also observed that people taking psychiatric medications are more prone to grinding their teeth while sleeping.
Addiction and Dietary Habits
Bad dietary habits and addictions such as smoking, drinking, or using drugs may also increase the risk of bruxism.
Family History
If your other family members have a history of Bruxism, then genetics may transfer it to you.
Other Health Condition
Some mental health disorders, specifically Parkinson’s disease GERD, night terrors, and apnea, lead to bruxism.
How Can You Diagnose Your Bruxism?
It is nearly impossible to realize your disorder if you suffer from sleep bruxism. Most dentists discover Bruxism; the dentist will observe slight changes in your teeth, which are early signs of bruxism; most commonly, flat tips of teeth are the first sign that your dentist can monitor and suggest a treatment plan.
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Symptoms
Some of the most common signs and symptoms of bruxism are
- Grinding of teeth which may be loud enough to wake your sleep buddy
- Fractured chip and flattened teeth
- Loss of enamel, especially from tips of teeth
- Dentine hypersensitivity toothache, tight jaw muscles, and unable to close and open the jaw completely
- Headache and earache
- Sleep disruption
- Cheek and tongue damage on chewing food
Treatment plan
In most cases, there is no treatment plan for teeth grinding, and it automatically fades away, mostly in children. You don’t need to treat this condition; when they grow up, it will be automatically stopped.
However, the treatment plan includes medication and therapies if you are an adult with a severe condition who suffers from a toothache, jaw muscle pain, and headache.
The treatment plan is formulated by your dentist and your psychiatrist in most cases.
Here we will discuss some dental and psychiatric approaches for treating this condition.
Dental Treatment Plan
The first step a dentist will take after observing your teeth-grinding habit will be preserving or improving your teeth structure. Some of the most common ways by which teeth structure can be preserved are
- Using a mouth guard or splints may be helpful to prevent this condition. During sleeping, you have to wear these mouthguards, and they will keep your teeth separated. This way, you will be saved from the damage of teeth grinding.
Mouthguards are mainly constructed with hard acrylic or soft materials and fit on your maxilla and mandibular teeth.
- The second choice is restorative dentistry, implemented when you visit your dentist late. Due to teeth grinding, your teeth’ natural shape is affected, and you cannot chew appropriately. Restorative dentistry such as Crown implants and bridges is used in this case.
Dental x-rays can help diagnose and formulate treatment plans if you want to know more about dental x-rays. You can also take a look at What Do Dental X-Rays Show? Are Dental X-Rays Dangerous?
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Psychiatric Approaches
Using mouth guards and protective dentistry is not enough for treating teeth grinding. You also have to discover the cause of grinding and stop it. For this purpose, the psychiatrist may help you by following the methods.
- If you are suffering from stress and grinding teeth because of anxiety or depression, then your psychiatrist May help you to prevent teeth grinding by promoting meditation and relaxation therapies.
- Suppose you are suffering from any type of personality disorder. In that case, your psychiatrist will also help in dealing with this condition, and soon you will recover fully from your mental illness and teeth grinding.
Medicine Therapy
In most cases, meditations are not effective in stopping teeth grinding, but they are effective for treating secondary symptoms such as
- Muscle relaxants are given before bedtime as they will help in treating your jaw muscle pain.
- If other treatments fail, then an injection of botox is given, which may be helpful for such people.
Medications are the last option and are used when other therapies fail.
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FAQs
Which type of bruxism is more dangerous?
Sleep Bruxism is much more dangerous than awake bruxism.
Can you treat sleep bruxism on your own?
In most cases, you can’t treat it by yourself and must seek professional help.
Is bruxism a neurological disorder?
No bruxism is not a neurological disorder, but it may be because of Parkinson’s disease or other neurological disorders.
Conclusion
Teeth grinding is a common disorder and can be cured with age, but if it persists in adults, different restorative dental materials such as mouth guards are used for protection. You can also see our blog about foods to help heal cavities naturally.
And the answer to the question “can grinding teeth cause tooth pain” is a significant yes; in fact, it’s not only toothache but also many other side effects, including jaw, neck, ear pain, and headache.