Grinding Teeth in Sleep

Grinding teeth can be a very disturbing condition to deal with. This condition prevents a person from getting sound sleep and also leads to pain and discomfort when he wakes up. Teeth grinding can affect people of all ages and hence, is seen in both children and adults. Given below are the various causes, symptoms and treatment options for dealing with teeth grinding in sleep.

Causes
One of the most common cause of teeth grinding in sleep is the presence of some kind of dental anomaly. This can occur due to the presence of a dental prosthesis or due to the improper closing and positioning of the jaws at night. If a person has recently had a crown or prosthesis fitted which is slightly larger in size, then it could lead to problems with occlusion. In such cases, in an attempt to find a harmonious point occlusion, the upper and lower jaws keep moving against each other, leading to teeth grinding. Also, when there is a lot of malocclusion due to misalignment of teeth, then there are high chances of a person landing with grinding teeth in sleep. Sometimes, if a person has a temporomandibular joint disorder, then due to the discomfort experienced with the joint, he may end up grinding his teeth at night.

When grinding teeth in children is seen, then it could be due to the growth of the jaws. When the jaws are growing, the upper and lower teeth may not be properly aligned as well, due to which the jaws keep trying to fix a position where they can occlude. Sometimes, stress can also be a cause of teeth grinding at night.

Symptoms
The symptoms of teeth grinding in sleep include certain general and dental symptoms. Normally, if a person grinds his teeth at night, he will not have a very sound sleep. He may also complain of pain in the jaw region and muscle soreness in the morning. Grinding teeth in sleep and headaches is also not a very uncommon thing in such cases. There are many dental symptoms that will help to identify this condition. Generally, the occlusal surfaces of teeth will suffer from a lot of attrition. The grooves may be lost and the teeth may look flat. This is often accompanied by yellowing of teeth and the incidence of sensitive teeth symptoms.

Treatment
The treatment for teeth grinding will depend on the underlying cause. If the person is complaining of teeth grinding due to the growth of jaws, as is seen in children, then there is no need for any treatment because once the growth of jaws is complete, the condition will resolve on its own. However, if the problem is due to the presence of a filling or a crown that has high points, due to which the upper and lower jaw are grinding against each other, then this warrants a visit to the dentist so as to get the filling redone or the crown resized. If the teeth are misaligned, then the teeth grinding treatment will consist of getting orthodontic treatment done. However, if the child is less than twelve years or if the child's canines have not erupted, then there will be need to wait and watch before going in for orthodontic treatment. In most cases though, there will be need for the person to get a mouth guard for grinding teeth. This is a plastic device that helps to prevent the upper and lower teeth from occluding and thus, grinding against each other.

This is a condition that needs to be taken seriously because constant and uncontrolled teeth grinding could lead to abrasion of teeth and excessive irreversible loss of tooth enamel. Hence, if a person is constantly grinding his teeth at night, then it is best to visit a dentist and get the condition diagnosed and treated.