Are You Sleep Bruxing Tonight?

If you've ever woken up with a headache or felt like something wasn't right with your jaw, you might be experiencing bruxism.

Bruxism is a condition where there is excessive grinding, clenching, bracing or gnashing of the teeth, and it can happen in the day or night.

It can cause symptoms such as tooth sensitivity, tooth mobility, headaches and jaw muscle discomfort—even causing gum recession and cracked or broken teeth and dental work. Left untreated, the teeth could become extremely worn and flat, exposing the nerves and affecting how patients look.

Most people who have bruxism aren't aware that they have a problem—and signs of bruxism are often first picked up by the dentist. In some cases the observed signs of bruxism may be as a result of past activity - and does not need to be treated. If we cannot confirm that the bruxism is current – using our iTero 3D scanner to take digital impressions of the teeth – the timelapse feature superimposes the images over one another, over time and any changes of the teeth and gums are easily seen. If there are no changes and there are no symptoms treatment may not be necessary.

If there are signs and symptoms of active bruxism, or witnessed bruxism —it's time to get treated appropriately.

At Serpentine Dental Care we screen all of our patients who exhibit signs of bruxism for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) before treating the bruxism with a classical occlusal splint or “night guard”.

If the patient has OSA or other airway issues, we will recommend specific airway treatments which may include a Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD). This is a custom-fit oral appliance where the jaw is held slightly forward and open so that the airway opens up and the airway-related bruxism improves.

If you have further questions about bruxism or would like to schedule an appointment, please contact us today.