DENTAL EXPANDING (BRUXISM)
Jaw tightening, teeth grinding situation which is usually caused by strong jaw movements during sleep. It is common in our society. Generally, individuals with this habit are unaware of it.
WHAT CAUSES DENTAL GRINDING
• To have an extreme nervous, sensitive, rigid structure
• Malocclusion (disorders in the alignment and sequencing of the teeth)
What kind of discomforts occur in the mouth and the tissues after the teeth grinding and what are the symptoms?
• Erosion on chewing face of teeth
• Dental fracture
• Excessive sensitivity on teeth
• Gingival retraction and notch-like abrasions in the gingival margin of the tooth that usually co-develop with it
• Swinging teeth
• Irritation in the cheeks
• Muscle aches
• Headache
• Pain in the jaw joint
These symptoms do not emerge from the very beginning of the teeth grinding. It can sometimes be seen years later depending on the severity and duration of the event. Often, not all of the indications are complete. Sometimes it can show very few symptoms.
Treatment
The goal is to prevent permanent damage to the jaw joint and relieve pain.
The most important instrument used for symptomatic treatment is night guards. However, night guards can often not be sufficient on their own.
For this reason, according to the picture presented by the patient, it is necessary to apply the night protectors in some additional treatments:
• Stress therapy,
• Providing comfortable sleeping measures,
• Muscle relaxant medication,
• Replacement of incorrectly made tooth filling and coatings,
• Apply prosthesis to replace missing teeth.
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