Bruxism Symptoms

Bruxism is a condition where a person has a tendency to constantly rub or grind his upper and lower teeth. This grinding teeth in sleep can have various etiological factors. These bruxism causes include stress, anxiety, presence of ill-fitting crowns and high fillings, neurologic and muscular problems, etc. However, there are bruxism symptoms, which help in diagnosing this condition. So given below are the various symptoms of bruxism which will help in identifying this condition at the earliest.

Damage to Teeth
One of the most commonly seen bruxism symptoms is damage to teeth. This damage is often physical in nature and consists of wear of the occlusal surface of teeth. This is known as attrition, wherein the grooves on the surface of teeth get flattened out due to constant wear. Constant grinding eventually leads to wearing of the enamel of teeth and exposure of dentin. Posterior teeth, that is, the molars are the ones most commonly affected by this. Thus, this leads to sensitive teeth symptoms, which can include sensitivity to hot and cold food. In severe cases, where bruxism symptoms are ignored for long, there may even be fracture of fillings or breakage of dental crowns in the oral cavity.

Muscular Symptoms
Due to constant chewing or clenching of teeth at night, the person will often complain of feeling tired in the morning. One of the bruxism symptoms also include complaining of muscle soreness in the facial region, along with jaw pain. The pain may especially be concentrated near the temporomandibular joint, due to which the patient may have pain in the preauricular region, that is, the region just in front of the ears. This pain may even be radiating in nature, due to which the patient may feel pain in other parts of the face. The person may also complain of a throbbing headache in the morning.

Other Symptoms
Other symptoms of bruxism include those that are a direct or indirect result of clenching teeth. Thus, due to the inadvertent chewing and clenching of teeth at night, the other structures in the oral cavity besides the teeth may also get affected. So there may be cheek biting, which could lead to the appearance of tissue tags on the inner surface of the cheek and cheek pain. There may also be indentations along the border of the tongue, which could lead to pain and tongue swelling. Your partner may also be able to hear grinding and clenching sounds at night while you're asleep. Due to the constant clenching a persons sleep can easily be disrupted, leading to insomnia. This could also lead to anxiety, depression, irritability, loss of appetite and other eating disorders if left untreated for long.

These were the various bruxism symptoms that help in diagnosing this condition. Bruxism treatment will consist of addressing the root cause of the problem. If the teeth grinding is due to the presence of a dental abnormality, like a high filling or crown, then the person will need to visit the dentist and get the filling redone and the crown resized. However, if the bruxism is neurologic in nature, then the person will need to use a mouth guard for grinding teeth. In the end, it is important to be on the lookout for a bruxism cure and address bruxism symptoms at the earliest. This is because if bruxism is left unabated, then it could have dire consequences on the dental and overall health of the person. The wearing off, of teeth may reach a point of no return; where restoring them may be nearly impossible.