Technical Definitions

Bruxism

An oral condition of excessive grinding or clenching of the teeth. Bruxism is designated as an unconscious activity since it occurs while an individual is sleeping. Many times it also occurs while awake. Certain psychological components trigger this condition such as stress, fatigue, or anxiety.

Effects of Bruxism

Bruxism is easily recognizable by the abnormal wear pattern that occurs on the surfaces compared to normal individuals. People with bruxism often have flat edges on the bottom edge of their teeth from the excessive grinding compared to the teeth of those without the bruxism condition. Grinding in this instance, is the repeated sliding back and forth motion of the top and bottom teeth which leads to the flat edges of the teeth. The dull effect of the teeth is similar to someone shaving the end of a wooden stick with sand paper so that the wooden stick becomes smooth. Likewise, the top and bottom teeth are rubbing across each other and smoothing out their surfaces.

The canine tooth for example is one of the sharpest teeth in the mouth. However, individuals with bruxism eventually wear this tooth down from excessive grinding. The figures below demonstrate the differences between bruxist teeth and normal teeth. The set of teeth on the left are clearly much straight-edged and square compared to the normal teeth, which have more shape to them.

Fig. 1 Bruxism

Fig. 2 Normal Teeth

Not only is bruxism related to the wearing of teeth from repeated grinding, but it is also associated with clenching of the teeth. Clenching involves holding one's top and bottom teeth together tightly, eventually causing pain in the jaw muscles.

*There are several associated factors with bruxism. You can view them on this link below:*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruxism#Associated_factors

Treatment

Night guards are the ultimate source of relief for bruxism. The night guards are plastic molds that conform to the teeth and align the upper and lower teeth properly. They serve to lessen excessive grinding at night and to protect the wearing effect of the teeth if grinding were to occur. However, night guards do not cure bruxism and pain of the jaw area may still persist without the night guards.

Fig. 3