Clenching and Grinding Your Teeth at Night: Fact or Fiction

Have you ever been told you grind your teeth at night? Ever wonder why your dentist is making these claims but you have never noticed any symptoms or never been told by your significant other that you do grind?Did your dentist recommend a night guard that you didn't think that you really needed? Hopefully the following information will answer all of you clenching/ grinding questions.

I have been clenching and grinding my teeth since I was a teenager. I had many symptoms of a grinder including morning headaches, muscle tension, temperature sensitivity on my teeth, receding gums and chipping teeth. I attributed these to other things in life like stress.

The thought of wearing an appliance every night for a problem that I didn't think I had did not seem appealing. Then I cracked my first tooth...

At that point I realized that I was grinding my teeth. I made myself a bite guard ( a perk of being in dental school) After wearing my bite guard for about two weeks I noticed that my headaches were gone, my muscles in my jaw no longer felt tired and the sensitivity on my teeth was greatly reduced.

FACT or FICTION

Fiction: I don't grind my teeth, my spouse would tell me

Fact: Most of the time your grinding is very quite, often undetectable by the person sleeping next to you

Fiction: I can't be grinding my teeth- I snore

Fact: It is common for people to alternate grinding and snoring through out the night.

Fiction: The divots of enamel missing at the gum line are from aggressive tooth brushing

Fact: Unless you are brushing with a Brillo pad you did not wear away your enamel with your tooth brush. Your enamel is the strongest substance in your body, stronger then your bones. Try to imagine brushing away your leg bone with your toothbrush- you couldn't do it. This damage is caused by grinding.

Fiction: An over the counter bite guard will do the same thing that a custom made guard will- and save me money

Fact: Although an over the counter bite guard may protect your teeth from grinding it does not protect your muscles or your TMJ (jaw joint)- since the over the counter bite guard it a "one size fits all" it is typically very bulky and hard to wear. They are soft which causes patients to chew on it since your brain registers it as food- often times wearing these guards cause damage to your jaw muscles and joint, treatment for the damage caused is very expensive when compared to the minimal investment in a custom guard to prevent the problem.

For additional information please contact Rochester Advanced Dentistry 248.656.2020