What Is Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)?
The majority of people who grind their teeth do so at night, so it is a subconscious thing. Most people aren’t aware of it. Other times, you might grind your teeth in stressful situations. I have patients who grind their teeth when they’re driving or working on the computer. They don’t think about it, but they’re just clenching and grinding.
The Design of Teeth and the Impact of Grinding
Teeth weren’t really designed for that. Teeth are designed to perform their function in chewing. When you put a lot of stress on them, you can cause microfractures, cracks, and breakdowns in fillings and crowns—especially in the front teeth, which aren’t designed to take the heavy grinding work. The front teeth are meant to cut food and send it to the back. If you’re grinding and clenching, especially at night, you can do a lot of damage.
Night Guards: The Solution for Teeth Grinding
One of the things we do in our office that I highly recommend for almost all patients is a night guard.
Improvements in Night Guards
The night guards of the past were big and bulky. You put them in, and you couldn’t talk. You’ve probably seen movies where someone puts their night guard in and drools all over themselves. The ones we have today are much sleeker and smaller. Typically, we put them on the top teeth so they don’t touch the roof of your mouth. They’re completely on your teeth. The inside is soft, so it nestles into place securely, and the outside is hard acrylic.
How Night Guards Protect Your Teeth
We built the night guard so that when you move your teeth around, you guide them in the right plane. Your back teeth were only designed to grind up and down. When your back teeth touch, it activates the muscles of mastication—the chewing muscles. The big one is here at the jaw, and the temporalis muscle is up here.
Muscle Fatigue and Jaw Pain
In the middle of the night, if you’re grinding and your back teeth are hitting, you’ll wake up with fatigued muscles. I like to tell patients it’s like doing bicep curls all night long. If you did, your arms would be shot in the morning. The jaw is no different. It’s a complex joint with big muscles, and if you wake up with stress, tightness, or soreness in your jaws, there’s a good chance you’re grinding or clenching at night.
How Night Guards Prevent Damage
What the night guard does is change the way you bite and grind. When your jaw goes left, right, or forward, the night guard disengages your back teeth, so the guidance is done on your front teeth, which is how your body was designed to function. You can move your jaw around and attempt to clench all night long, but the night guard prevents the muscles from overfiring and protects your teeth.
Protecting Your Investment in Dental Work
Anytime we do full mouth reconstruction or any aesthetic work—whether it’s veneers or crowns on the front teeth—we always make a night guard. I tell patients it’s about protecting their investment because a lot of dental work represents an investment of their time and money. The last thing you want is to wake up with a chipped front tooth after we’ve created a beautiful smile for you. It’s not the end of the world; we can fix it, but it’s better to prevent it. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Wearing Night Guards During the Day
Most clenching and grinding damage happens at night when you’re not aware of it, so the term “night guard” is a bit of a misnomer. We like you to wear it at night to protect your teeth when you’re subconsciously grinding. But during the day, there’s no harm in wearing the night guard if you find yourself in a stressful situation. Whether you’re typing on the computer, writing a stressful email, or driving, you can pop the night guard in. You might not be able to talk clearly, but at least you’re protecting your teeth.
Bruxism: The Medical Term for Grinding
The dental term for grinding your teeth is called bruxism. There are many reasons for it, but most of the time, it’s a subconscious movement of your jaw and clenching. It’s generally associated with stress and turmoil in your life. We all carry stress in our shoulders and jaws, and it often manifests overnight as subconscious grinding and clenching.
Bruxism and Sleep Apnea
Bruxism can also be caused by sleep apnea. Research shows that grinding is your body’s attempt to wake you up. If you’re apneic (not getting enough oxygen while sleeping), your body will clench to fire off those muscles and try to wake you up so you can take a breath.
The Cost of Night Guards
A night guard is a medical device, so it’s not inexpensive. There are cheaper, over-the-counter night guards that you can make at home by boiling and biting them into shape. These are fine for minor clenching or temporary stress, but they aren’t made in a lab and aren’t designed to protect your bite the way a custom night guard is.
Other Ways to Prevent Grinding
If you’re on the borderline of needing a night guard and aren’t ready to commit, there are other things you can do. You can stretch, try to reduce stress, meditate, or practice yoga—these activities calm you down. But sometimes, those things aren’t enough, and that’s when you need to see us so we can make you a custom night guard.
Conclusion
I’m Dr. Brett Langston, and I’m here to help you watch your mouth.