Teeth grinding or bruxism is a problem that all affected persons should address. While its effect could merely be on the physical appearance of the teeth, there could be major reasons why a person grinds his teeth at night or during the day. It could be because he or she is suffering from an undiagnosed disease or that the medications are causing it.
It is very important for the instances of teeth grinding to be observed, screened, and diagnosed. More often than not, you need to go to a dentist for an initial checkup. The dentist would look for the physical indicators of bruxism. This is not very hard to do, because if there are unusual wearing or tears on the teeth, then the chances are high that bruxism had caused it. Aside from this, tooth sensitivity and broken or worn dental restorations are also telltale signs of teeth grinding. The same is true with loss crowns and fractured teeth.
If the dentist sees any of these signs, he or she will request regular appointments with you. This is to check whether the condition is progressive or not. If it were, the dentist would proceed to assess the extent of the problem. He would also look for changes in one's teeth or mouth areas. At that point, he could prescribe a treatment therapy or may request for additional examinations.
Dentist would usually find the main cause of bruxism before he prescribes a treatment course for it. He can start by asking you relevant questions about your health, stress level, regular medications, dental health history, or even your coffee and alcohol drinking habits. Sleeping habits may also be asked to determine if bruxism happens during the night. At which, the doctor could request a meeting with your room mate or sleeping partner so as to learn more about your sleeping behavior. The dentist would specifically ask if you make unusual grinding or teeth clenching sounds during the night while sleeping.
The severity of bruxism is assessed by the full examination of one's mouth. The jaw muscles are checked for tenderness, including all other dental abnormalities stated previously. Poor teeth alignment, broken, and missing teeth are good indications that a person's bruxism is severe. But aside from your teeth and their underlying bones, the cheeks could sustain damages from bruxism as well. There could be sores or wounds on the cheeks as they may get in the way of teeth clenching. To help dentists assess the condition, several x-rays of the jaws and the mouth will be requested.
Bruxism may possibly affect the ears as much as the jaw and the cheeks. Dental disorders such as temporomandibular joint disorder may be detected as well. Dentist will try to provide the necessary treatment from his end. But if other disorders surface, like otitis media or ear infection, he would have to refer you to an ear expert to provide you with the proper treatment procedure for that. Another series of examinations may be required.
There are cases that bruxism is caused by psychological disorders, lack of sleep, or stress. If your dentist suspects that these are the root causes of your bruxism, he would most probably refer you to a psychiatrist, therapist, or councilor. These experts should be able to help you out with your condition more.
Bruxism should be properly addressed the moment it is detected. A lot people assume that teeth grinding is nothing but a harmless habit. But with the type of medical attention provided to people suffering from bruxism, it is important you get the right course of treatment to prevent further damage to the teeth and eventually, to one's health.
source : http://www.teethgrindingcure.com
No comments:
Post a Comment