Grinding or clenching your teeth without realizing it is a habit known as bruxism. Other oral health issues might arise as a result of bruxism, such as tooth damage and problems with the jaw joints. Teeth grinding and clenching might happen while you’re awake or asleep. Although the behavior is similar both awake and asleep, bruxism is, in fact, a separate condition.

When you suffer from awake bruxism, you grind your teeth and clench your jaws while you should be sleeping. Emotional problems like worry, stress, wrath, tension, or irritation are often to blame. Even while focusing intensely, this phenomenon is possible.

Your teeth grinding is known as sleep bruxism. Since you’re not aware that the grinding or clenching is happening, the damage is magnified. Problems with your teeth, jaw, and head can result from exerting up to 250 pounds of force. People who experience bruxism while they sleep may also suffer from snoring and sleep apnea (brief pauses in breathing during sleep).

Warning Signals for Bruxism

Sleep bruxism is a condition that might go unnoticed until someone brings it to your attention or serious difficulties arise. These are some of the warning signs that you may be a bruxer:

• Clenching of the jaws or grinding of the teeth
• Tense or aching jaw muscles that don’t go away
• Experiencing discomfort in one’s face, jaw, or neck
• Headaches
• Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
• Wear and tear on tooth enamel
• Damaged, broken, or missing teeth
• A dull, achy pain in and around your ears
• Tooth sensitivity has increased
• Jaw swelling
• TMJ dysfunction, sometimes known as “popping” or “clicking” jaw syndrome, causes pain during eating.
• Repairs of teeth that have been broken

You should consult your Palm Harbor, FL dentist if you have any of these symptoms of teeth grinding. They will take a look at your teeth and jaw muscles to diagnose the problem and suggest a course of action.

The root causes of bruxism

It is unclear what triggers bruxism, but researchers believe it may involve biological, psychological, and environmental components. The main causes are things like:

• Negative practices in daily life, such as smoking, drinking, taking large amounts of caffeine, and utilizing recreational drugs
• Chronic feelings of unease, tension, rage, or annoyance
• Snoring and sleep apnea are just two examples of sleep problems.
• Medicine, specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for depression (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
• Conditions of a medical nature, such as epilepsy, GERD, Parkinson’s, dementia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder