Bruxism, or teeth grinding, is a fairly common dental condition that many people don’t know about for it happens frequently during sleep. Have you been waking up to a tight or sore jaw, and not have any explanation for it? You’re not alone. This article caught my attention because it seemed like an interesting condition. My mom has it, so I wanted to read more. This also caught my eye because many people may have this and not even know about it.

The American Dental Association reports bruxism often happens during sleep, or whenever a patient doesn’t realize what they are doing. Some common symptoms are general pain of the teeth, difficulty opening the mouth, and even some temperature sensitivity. This disorder can affect both children and adults. Dentists speculate it can be caused by many things such as stress, anxiety, anger, sleep disorders, an abnormal bite, or misaligned or crooked teeth. Dr. Noshir Mehta states when you grind your teeth during sleep, there is an average force of 250 pounds of pressure. Wow, that’s a lot of pressure! I really wouldn’t enjoy these symptoms. Just imagine all of the people who deal with this not knowing they have a condition.

Left untreated, bruxism can lead to worn-down, flattened, chipped teeth. Dr. Jane Puskas worries for patients who ignore the symptoms. Those who grind, and will continue to grind, won’t have any teeth. Restoring teeth is a difficult and expensive procedure. You can’t restore just one tooth, it’s the entire mouth. That sounds terrible. I will be sure not to ignore any symptoms of anything I have, they can lead to horrible results!

There is hope for bruxism patients. Although it is not curable, there are treatments. There are custom-made mouth guards patients can wear at night to cushion the teeth so they don’t grind together. Although these can be expensive, insurance can cover it. Managing your stress is another way to stop teeth grinding, such as meditation and regular exercise. Regular dental check-ups are always a good idea as well. Well that’s good. I’m glad there is hope for these poor patients!

I think this article can help people in Maine, as well as anywhere else, because from the looks of it, people can have no idea what these strange symptoms are and will think nothing of it. That’s what happened to my mom. She bought a mouth guard, though, and now feels much better. I hope people with these symptoms go to their dentists right away!