What causes bruxism?
Although this habit is unintentional, oral health specialists often point to excessive stress and certain personality types as typical causes of bruxism. Bruxism often affects persons with nervous tension such as anger, pain, or frustration, and/or persons with aggressive, hurried, or overly-competitive tendencies. Treatment for bruxism: Treatment may involve: Behavior modification Night Guard – A specially-fitted plastic mouth appliance may be worn at night to absorb the force of biting. This appliance may help to prevent future damage to the teeth. Biofeedback -Biofeedback involves an electronic instrument that measures the amount of muscle activity of the mouth and jaw — indicating to the patient when too much muscle activity is taking place so that the behavior can be changed. This is especially helpful for daytime bruxers.
Parents are often concerned about the nocturnal grinding of teeth. The first signs of this habit are noise created by the grinding and wearing of the teeth. Theories on the cause of grinding range from stress to ear pressure at night. However, the majority of children who grind do not require any treatment. Most children outgrow bruxism as they get older.
