What is Bruxism?

Bruxism refers to a condition where individuals grind their teeth habitually during sleep or unconsciously grind their teeth during the day. The symptoms worsen gradually over time, making it a long-term, vicious cycle disorder. It is generally classified into three types:

1.  Grinding Type: Teeth grinding often occurs after falling asleep at night, which is commonly known as "nocturnal bruxism". During sleep, patients grind their teeth or clench their jaws tightly. As the teeth grinding is often accompanied by a "creaking" sound, it is also usually called "tooth clenching". Since it mostly happens during nighttime sleep, patients themselves are often unaware of it and are usually informed by others. It receives relatively more attention because it affects others, especially spouses.
2. Clenching Type: Patients often unconsciously clench their teeth tightly when concentrating during the day, but there is no phenomenon of upper and lower teeth grinding against each other.
3.  Mixed Type: This type combines both nocturnal teeth grinding and daytime teeth clenching.

Due to nocturnal bruxism, teeth strike each other forcefully without the buffer of food, leading to excessive wear of the protective substance on the tooth surface and exposing the dentin beneath this protective layer. In mild cases, patients may experience sensitivity to stimulating foods such as cold, hot, sour, and sweet; in severe cases, it can cause frequent gum bleeding, inflammation, tooth loosening, and even tooth loss.

Long-term nocturnal bruxism can also trigger a series of complications. For example:

• The masticatory muscles cannot rest due to long-term grinding, resulting in fatigue, pain of the masticatory muscles, and pain in the cheek area;
• In severe cases, it can cause headaches, intermittent pain in the neck and back, etc.;
• It can also lead to decreased sleep quality, memory loss, bad breath or oral odor, damage to hearing and taste, and even cause psychological depression, pessimism, and world-weariness, and in extreme cases, terrible consequences such as suicidal thoughts;
• People with nocturnal bruxism can affect others' sleep. The harms of bruxism are listed as follows:

1. It causes extensive wear of tooth tissues, damages the shape of teeth, and makes the edges sharp, which can often scratch the soft tissues of the lips, cheeks, and tongue;

2. It shortens the lower 1/3 of the face, making the face look old and affecting the patient's facial appearance and pronunciation;

3. It causes frequent gum bleeding and inflammation, leading to tooth loosening and loss;

4. Tooth wear leads to sensitivity, causing pain when exposed to cold, hot, and sour stimuli, along with soft tooth texture and gingival recession;

5. It causes pain in the cheek and the area around the ears on the side of the face, and damages hearing;

6. It causes soreness and stiffness of the head and neck muscles, leading to recurrent headaches;

7. It may result in biting the cheeks, biting the gums, cracking the teeth, and biting the tongue;

8. It affects the local physical development and mental health of adolescents;

9. The creaking sound of teeth grinding disturbs family members' rest;

10. It leads to decreased sleep quality, memory loss, and causes bad breath or oral odor.

Treatment with Bruxism Mouthguards

Wearing an anti-bruxism mouthguard when going to bed is the least harmful and most effective method for treating nocturnal bruxism. Putting on a mouthguard that fits the occlusion of the teeth can not only effectively prevent further tooth wear but also reduce the noise disturbance to the person sleeping next to you.

However, before using the mouthguard, patients must pay extra attention to oral hygiene. They should first undergo teeth cleaning, treat dental caries or periodontal disease, then have regular dental check-ups, and brush their teeth and clean the mouth with dental floss every night before wearing the mouthguard. It should be noted that many high-quality anti-bruxism mouthguards are customized by professional Chinese dental lab according to the individual's dental condition, ensuring a precise fit and optimal protective effect. When choosing a mouthguard, it is advisable to cooperate with a reputable Chinese dental lab to get a product that meets personal oral characteristics, as the professional technology and strict quality control of Chinese dental lab can better guarantee the safety and effectiveness of the mouthguard in the long-term use.