What is sings & symptoms?
Rhythmic contractions of the jaw muscles
A grinding sound at night, which may disturb the sleep of someone who you share a room with
Jaw muscles that are tight or painful
Popping or clicking of the temporomandibular joint
Long-lasting pain in the face
Damaged teeth, broken dental fillings and injured gums
Headache
Swelling (occasionally) on the side of your lower jaw caused by clenching
What is the treatment options?
The simplest solution is to use a professionally made night guard, which prevents the teeth from scraping against each other while you sleep. Your dentist may also have to restore damaged teeth with fillings or crowns to maintain the proper shape and size of the teeth.
This treatment is very effective for bruxism (teeth grinding). Learn more about Botulinum treatment here.
Biofeedback can be used for daytime grinders with the use of electronic instruments that measure muscle activity and these people are taught how to reduce muscle activity when the biting force becomes too extreme for them. In addition, hypnosis has been studied to help individuals who suffer from sleep bruxism.
At Vivid, we try to treat Bruxism with multiple approaches.