Teeth Grinding In Sleep (bruxism), What Are The Causes? What To Do?

2023 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 04:34

What to do if teeth gnashing in a dream excruciates?

Teeth grinding during sleep is a serious problem. Doctors call her bruxism. It can affect people of all ages and sexes. According to statistics, bruxism affects 15 to 50% of the world's population.

Content:

• What is bruxism?
• Causes of a squeak in a dream
• Types of bruxism
• Symptoms of bruxism
• Diagnosis of bruxism
• How to get rid of teeth grinding in a dream?
• Dr. Komarovsky on bruxism in children
• Prevention of bruxism

What is bruxism?

Bruxism (teeth grinding in a dream) is a spasm of the chewing muscles of the jaw, against the background of which a person makes involuntary movements with them. The teeth close tightly, rub against each other, which causes an audible grinding. This disorder is often combined with low blood pressure, apnea, and slow heart rate.

Bruxism is most common at night, but some people grind their teeth during the day. As such, the squeak is not heard, although a person with such a problem clenches his jaw tightly. Bruxism is rarely taken seriously, as few people know that it can cause tooth decay.

Causes of a squeak in a dream

To date, the reason for the creak of teeth in a dream has not been established. Scientists believe that a variety of factors can cause bruxism. The fact is that even bruxism itself is not a permanent phenomenon. It manifests itself in different ways in different people: from time to time or is present on an ongoing basis.

According to dentists

Dentists are of the opinion that people with malocclusion are grinding their teeth in their sleep. Incorrectly installed braces or prostheses, unsuccessful dental surgery can provoke bruxism. Often people suffer from such a problem after installing a seal.

According to psychologists

Psychologists consider bruxism to be a manifestation of nervous strain. It develops in people who have experienced fear, grief, or longing for a long time. These feelings lead to the development of neuroses, depression and severe stress. Bruxism often occurs in people who have experienced violent negative emotions, showed aggression and negativism.

Nervous strain provokes stiffness in the muscles of the jaw and face. If a person is able to control their work during the day, then at night his consciousness turns off. However, the central nervous system is in a state of heightened excitement, therefore it continues to transmit nerve impulses.

If bruxism is a consequence of stress, then it will manifest itself from time to time. When a person grinds his teeth constantly, it is likely that he is developing a neurosis.

According to somnologists

Sleep disturbance can cause bruxism. Somnologists think so. If the sleep is too deep, or, on the contrary, restless, then the person may grind his teeth. A similar problem occurs in people suffering from apnea, sleepwalking, nightmares.

Negative emotions transferred during the day negatively affect the quality of sleep. They do not allow you to completely relax and unwind. The jaws clench strongly, causing characteristic sounds.

According to neurologists

Neurologists are of the opinion that teeth grinding at night is the result of disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system. Often, bruxism is a companion of epilepsy, or indicates a predisposition to epileptic seizures.

There is evidence that people began to grind their teeth in their sleep after a traumatic brain injury. Disturbances in the work of the jaw muscles occur after damage to the trigeminal nerve and its branches.

The myth of the presence of worms

There is a popular belief that a person who grinds his teeth at night is infected with worms. No specialist will argue that parasitic invasion negatively affects the work of the nervous system. However, the link between bruxism and helminth infection has not been established and scientifically proven.

Other reasons

Other causes of bruxism include:

• Complications received during childbirth.
• Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
• Infection with parasites. They cause intoxication of the body and vitamin deficiency, which negatively affects the state of the psyche.
• A person's genetic predisposition to bruxism.
• Having bad habits.
• Brain trauma received.
• Brain tumors.
• Taking antidepressants and sleeping pills, or canceling them.

Types of bruxism

Bruxism can be day or night. Some people grind their teeth during the day, while others at night. In the daytime, a person creaks his teeth against a background of emotional overstrain and stress. Sometimes these two forms are combined with each other.

Night bruxism is teeth grinding at night. If a person sleeps alone, then he will not even suspect about the existing problem.

Daytime bruxism is teeth grinding while awake. It is not as common as the daytime form of the disorder. Daytime bruxism is caused by emotional upheavals and stress. Experts call strong clenching of teeth amid excitement by the term "klenching".

Mixed bruxism is characterized by a combination of daytime and nighttime forms.

The difference between day and night bruxism

Night bruxism occurs due to sleep disturbance against the background of overexcitation of the central nervous system. During rest, foci of micro-excitation appear in the brain, which provoke muscle spasm.

Daytime bruxism is caused by mental processes such as increased anxiety and low stress resistance. This provokes a convulsive contraction of the jaw muscles against the background of emotional overstrain.

People with daytime bruxism often complain of jaw pain, while people with nighttime bruxism rarely have this problem. However, tooth enamel is more damaged in those patients who suffer from nocturnal bruxism.

Symptoms of bruxism

Daytime bruxism is not a secret for a person, while close people tell him about night gnashing of teeth. Often times, gritting teeth prevents others from sleeping properly.

The main manifestations of bruxism include:

• Grinding teeth.
• Pain in the temporomandibular joint and muscles. Unpleasant sensations are especially strong in the morning.
• Inflammation of the joints. It becomes chronic and can lead to impaired jaw mobility.
• Erasure of enamel, increased sensitivity of the teeth. They will hurt when you eat sweet, sour, cold and hot foods.
• Looseness of teeth, the appearance of chips and fractures on them.
• Incorrect bite formation.
• Deterioration in sleep quality. Chronic fatigue leads to headaches.
• Injury to the mucous membrane of the cheeks.
• Ear pain.

The more often a person grinds his teeth, the more his teeth are loosened. If you don't take any action, they will just start to fall out.

Diagnosis of bruxism

If a child creaks his teeth, then parents should consult a pediatrician. With bruxism in an adult, you need to see a dentist or an implantologist. The doctor must determine if there are any abnormalities in the structure and functioning of the temporomandibular joint. The specialist will assess the patient's bite, the state of his chewing muscles.

If the dentist does not find any problems in the person, then he will refer him to a neurologist or psychotherapist.

Sometimes it is possible to find the cause of bruxism using polysomnography. During the study, the patient will have to sleep, but the sleep itself is controlled by computerized devices. The results obtained are evaluated on the basis of the built hypnogram. This diagnostic method is indicated not only for bruxism, but also for apnea, epilepsy and nightmares.

How to get rid of teeth grinding in a dream?

Since bruxism negatively affects the condition of the tooth enamel, measures should be taken to preserve it. To decide on the methods of treatment, you need to visit the dentist. Most often, the doctor recommends using silicone mouthguards, splints, trainers. They are made to order for each patient. Such devices are designed to preserve the integrity of the tooth enamel, but they will not allow you to correct the occlusion, change the shape of the teeth, etc. Although in appearance these designs may resemble trays for solving orthodontic problems.

To cope with the cause that causes creaking teeth, you should visit a neurologist. The doctor will assess the state of the human nervous system and give recommendations for eliminating the existing disorders. Most often, treatment is required by hot-tempered and aggressive people.

Treatment begins with mild sedatives. It can be valerian, mint, motherwort. Herbs are brewed and drunk as tea, or they can be taken in the form of an alcoholic tincture. If you cannot cope with the problem, then the doctor may recommend hypnosis, a visit to a psychotherapist. Sometimes patients are given Botox injections into the jaw muscles. This allows them to paralyze and temporarily get rid of bruxism.

Orthodontic treatment is necessary for people with malocclusion. Sometimes braces are required to correct it.

Hot and cold compresses, specialized exercises, massage can help to cope with bruxism. All these activities are aimed at relaxing the muscles of the neck and face, which allows you to relieve excess tension from them. It is also recommended to stop taking alcoholic beverages, coffee and energy drinks.

To maintain the health of tooth enamel, special pastes are used. Sometimes it is recommended to take vitamin and mineral complexes.

If the enamel has already suffered serious damage, it must be repaired. However, it is necessary to start such treatment only after getting rid of bruxism.

Video: Elena Malysheva in the program Live Healthy, about grinding her teeth in a dream:

Dr. Komarovsky on bruxism in children

The famous pediatrician Komarovsky points out that daytime bruxism in children is not a reason for panic. Sometimes a child grinds his teeth in pursuit of only one goal - to examine his mouth and assess its capabilities.

However, the doctor identifies some other causes of nocturnal bruxism:

• Overgrowth of the adenoids.
• Teething.
• Genetic predisposition.
• Deficiency of B vitamins in the body.

The doctor recommends bringing the child's nervous system back to normal. To do this, you can take him for a massage. Before going to bed, healthy warm herbal teas, taking a bath. In winter and spring, it is necessary to offer the child vitamins.

Bruxism is often the result of attention deficit disorder. If the reason lies precisely in this, then any parent can eliminate it.

Prevention of bruxism

To prevent the development of bruxism, the following recommendations must be followed:

• Give up bad habits, alcohol abuse and smoking.
• Allocate enough time to rest. You need to observe the regime, sleep at least 8 hours. During the day, you should lead an active lifestyle, play sports. It is good if there is an opportunity to hike before a night's rest.
• Maintaining emotional balance. Stress and other negative emotions often lead to bruxism. You need to try to avoid conflict situations, not watch programs and films that carry negative. Yoga classes, taking warm baths, and self-massage are good for the nervous system.
• Regular visits to a therapist. A doctor should have a scheduled examination at least once a year.

Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist

Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".