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Bruxism
Everybody handles excess stress differently. Some
people develop an ulcer, some people develop high blood pressure,
and some people grind or clench their teeth. Stress, it's now
believed, is the major cause of grinding and clenching your teeth,
say dental researchers. In the past, a malocclusion (the way your
teeth fit together) got the blame, and dentists would grind the
teeth down, trying to read just the bite. In a small percentage
of cases, sleep patterns are responsible. The reasons children
grind remain unclear. The problem with bruxism, as the habit of
grinding and clenching is called, is the wear and tear on your
teeth. When you grind your teeth, you can wear away tooth enamel.
This can lead to sensitive teeth and tooth decay, and it can also
cause damage to expensive dental work. Finally, grinding taxes
the muscles and joints of the temporomandibular (jaw).
Prolonged grinding may damage the jaw joint enough
to cause osteoarthritis as well as bone loss in periodontal (gum)
disease, although it does not actually cause gum disease.
Teeth-grinding is thought to be hereditary. It's
also related to gender: Three times as many women as men grind
their teeth. Bruxism is most common in those between 20 and 40
years of age. Ironically, the regular grinder may do less harm
than the intermittent grinder—sort of like the weekend athlete
who's not in shape for intense activity. The regular grinder can
wear down teeth, but his or her muscles get stronger from the
habit. Clenching may do more harm than grinding because, although
your jaw is designed for chewing, it is not designed for clenching.
As a result, clenching can cause degeneration in the joint. People
who grind are usually aware of their habit, too. They wake up
with a stiff or tired jaw, or their spouse hears the noise during
the night. Clenchers, on the other hand, may be ignorant of their
problem. Some people clench all day and don't realize it, although
they do find that they have jaw pain that increases throughout
the day.
Therefore, some of the
symptoms of bruxism are:
- a sore, tired jaw
- difficulty in opening and closing
- sensitive teeth
- and earaches or pain in one or both
of your jaw joints.
If left untreated, you may experience among
other things:
- flattened or worn-down teeth
- teeth chipped at the gum line
- loose teeth
- damage to the bone around your teeth
- or damage to your jaw joint, the
TMJ.
Though all of the causes of grinding are not known,
stress is often a factor. There are a variety of stress reduction
techniques that may be recommended (Please see the section
below on tips for teeth-grinders). Medication may be recommended
to temporarily reduce stress or reduce pain and soreness.
Spaces, worn teeth, or teeth that are out of alignment
may cause grinding and clenching. Crowns, bridges, or other dental
restorations can restore your bite and eliminate the pattern of
grinding and clenching.
One of the most common and effective ways to stop
the damage caused by grinding and clenching is the use of an NTI
appliance (Please see the section below on NTI Appliance).
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Tips
For Teeth-Grinders
Here's what you can do to try to stop bruxing
and to cope with discomfort until you do:
Let us know! Let your dentist at 
know about it.
We may suggest one or more of the following:
- Wear
a night guard. Your dentist at
can make a plastic or acrylic appliance for you to wear at night.
Although it may not stop you from grinding, it will redistribute
the forces from grinding and protect your teeth from damage.
Your dentist will want to see you regularly to check for any
tooth movement or cavities that might result from wearing such
an appliance. Keep in mind, however, that in order for the night
guard to do any good, you must remember to put it in.
 Keep
your lips sealed, but your teeth apart. Your teeth should
be touching only when you're chewing or swallowing. Drop your
jaw and feel the muscles relax -- then try to maintain that
feeling.
Take a warm bath before bedtime. The warmth of the water may
temporarily relax your jaw muscles.
The warmth of the water may temporarily relax your jaw muscles
- Exercise.
Your body, not your jaw, that is. A walk or other mild exercise
may help relieve some of the tension and stress that's causing
bruxism.
- Remind
yourself. If you're a daytime clencher, think of ways
to remind yourself not to clench. For example, you can put a
red dot on your phone, stickers on your wristwatch, or even
a string on your finger to remind you to keep your jaw relaxed.
- Relieve
stress. Stress is a major contributor to grinding, so
if you can reduce stress, you will likely reduce grinding.
- Learn
coping skills. See a psychologist or psychiatrist. Take
an assertiveness training course. Practice techniques such as
progressive relaxation or guided imagery or self hypnosis. Listen
to relaxation tapes. In other words, find something that helps
you to better handle the stress in your life.
- Take
a mild analgesic. Ibuprofen, for example, can dull the
pain and help relax stiff muscles.
- Apply
heat. Warm, moist heat is best. The simplest method:
Soak a washcloth in hot water, wring it out, and hold it up
to your jaw. You can use a heating pad, although moist heat
will penetrate better.
- Massage.
It works for the rest of your body, so try a gentle massage
to your jaw muscles.
- Give
your jaw muscles a break. Limit steak, hard-crusted bread,
popcorn, gum, and other chewy foods that give your jaw a workout,
especially when jaw discomfort is at its worst.
Keep
in mind that the above tips should only be followed after a
consultation with a dentist at a
clinic.
Simply dial
(613) 733-6825 to set-up an appointment and, let us help you ease
your jaw pain and get your bruxism under control before it's too
late.
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TMJ / TMD
TMJ syndrome is a cycle of pain, muscle spasms,
and joint imbalance where the jaw meet the skull. The initials
TMJ stand for the names of the bones that come together at the
joint where the lower jaw meets the skull. This joint connects
the temporal bone of the skull with the mandible bone of the jaw.
Cushioning these two bones is a thin disc of cartilage. Five muscles
support the joint.
 When
the balance of these bones, cartilage, and muscles is lost, the
result can be: headaches,earaches, difficulty in opening and closing,
a clicking or popping in the joint, a dull aching pain around
the ear that spreads into the face, and sore or painful jaw muscles.
Common Symptoms of TMD
Teeth Symptoms
- clenching or grinding teeth
- inconsistent tooth pain (relocates)
- pain when swallowing, speaking
or chewing
Jaw Symptoms
- popping, clicking and grating noises
- tenderness or pain in the jaw joint
- difficulty opening or closing mouth
- jaw "locks" or "sticks"
- difficulty yawning, chewing
and opening wide
Neck Symptoms
- neck pain/stiffness
- tired or sore muscles
- muscle spasms
- lack of mobility
- shoulder and backache
Head Symptoms
- headaches
- sinus/migraine
- forehead/temples
- pressure in sinuses
- face aches
- pain behind eyes
- facial muscle spasm
This cycle of pain, spasms, and joint imbalance
can be started by:
- clenching or grinding the teeth
- a bad bite caused by missing teeth
- badly aligned teeth
- a blow to the joint
- arthritis
- emotional stress
Clenching and grinding will often go away once
a person's stress is reduced, breaking the cycle of TMJ syndrome.
In the meantime, there are other ways to break this cycle. You
can reduce muscle spasms and pain with moist heat, inflammation-reducing
drugs, and muscle relaxants, muscle massage, and a soft diet.
To restore balance to the joint, we may crown teeth, fill spaces,
adjust the bite, or even move teeth. A splint, which is a plastic
mouthpiece, can reduce clenching and grinding and help restore
harmony to the joint. Millions of people suffer from TMJ syndrome.
Treatment and lifestyle changes can break the TMJ cycle and restore
harmony to the joint.
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Abfraction
When your bite is slightly off, it's common that
one tooth may hit sooner than the rest. This causes undue stress
on the involved teeth and they begin to flex. It is this continual
flexing and stress, over time, that causes the enamel to separate
from the inner dentin layer, forming the familiar looking notch
of abfraction.
 There
are two possible steps involved in solving the abfraction problem.
We may first adjust your bite so that chewing forces are evenly
distributed among all your teeth. The second phase involves restoring
the damage by bonding a filling in place.
White, natural looking fillings can fill the damage and restore
the tooth to nearly its original color and shape.
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NTI
Appliance
It's estimated that today, at least one-fourth
of Canada's population suffers from debilitating tension headaches
and migraine pain, or painful problems with their jaw joint.
And while a variety of lifestyle and health issues can complicate
these problems, recent research has shown that intense, prolonged
jaw clenching is the dominant factor in the cause and perpetuation
of symptoms.
When muscles have been constantly contracting,
they become tense and sore. Clenching keeps the muscles involved
in opening and closing your jaw in a constant state of tension
and varying degrees of pain, and can strain your sinuses and cause
your neck to feel stiff.
Fortunately, we now have a simple device that can
significantly reduce jaw clenching intensity and the painful problems
it causes.
It's called NTI Tension Suppression System. It
works by preventing the contact between the molar and canine teeth.
Without this contact, your jaw cannot clench intensely and muscles
will not become fatigued. The NTI is a small acrylic appliance
that's customized at 7DENTAL to precisely fit your bite. It's
about the size of the top third of your thumb, and it's worn securely
over your upper front teeth while you sleep, or at other times
when you find yourself clenching.
To see how the NTI appliance suppresses
jaw clenching, place a pencil between your molars and bite down
firmly.
Then, place your fingers just above and
to the side of one of your eyes. That's your temporal muscle
bulging out in intense contraction. Finally, move the pencil
so it's between your front teeth, and bite down again. You'll
notice that your temporal muscle is contracting much less vigorously.
That's why the NTI appliance is worn between your front teeth,
so it lessens the fatigue to your temporal muscle.
In just one appointment, the professionals at
can
create your NTI appliance. First, we try it in, and precisely
customize its fit by lining it with a plastic material.
Once the customized portion has hardened, we carefully
make any final adjustments and polish it.  The
NTI is the only device approved by the FDA for the prevention
of migraine pain. It's twice as effective as preventive medication,
and in clinical trials, 82 percent of migraine sufferers experienced
an average of 77 percent fewer migraines within the first eight
weeks of use!
The NTI Tension Suppression
System: an easy, and effective tool your team of professionals
at 7DENTAL clinics utilize to treat your headaches and jaw pain
without medication or extended therapy.
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