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Bruxism and Oral Health: The Connection and Management Strategies

If you wake up to jaw pain, you probably know the plight of bruxism all too well. In addition to jaw pain, you may contend with your jaw feeling tired or tight, which could lead to headaches and earaches. Fortunately, there’s help. Dr. Steve Sedaros, an oral surgeon in Melbourne, FL, offers treatment to assist, especially considering bruxism can contribute to various oral health problems.

How Teeth Grinding Affects Oral Health 

Besides the unpleasant symptoms, bruxism may also affect your oral health in the following ways.

Tooth Erosion 

As you clench and/or grind, you may wear the enamel on your teeth away. As you continuously partake in those bad habits, your enamel will become thinner and thinner. Keep in mind that enamel loss is irreversible. 

And once you wear it down, you put the affected teeth at risk for increased sensitivity and cavities since the outer layer of your teeth is protective. As it wears down, stains also have an easier time penetrating through the enamel and causing staining. Plus, your grinding exposes the dentin underneath the top layer, causing a yellowish color to show through. Moreover, any teeth with exposed dentin will become more vulnerable to staining. 

Lastly, when you’re grinding, you could cause tiny cracks (micro-cracks) in the outer shell of your teeth, allowing spaces where food and beverages could enter and cause staining.

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

Temporomandibular joint disorder, more commonly known as TMJ, is an issue that arises in the jaw joint, including the muscles and ligaments. It could cause the following:

  • Pain
  • Tenderness
  • Jaw stiffness
  • Clicking or popping sounds when you move your jaw
  • Headaches or migraines
  • Earaches

In some cases, this disorder causes a tooth misalignment that can make it challenging to care for your teeth, leading to cavities or gum disease.

Loose or Cracked Teeth

All the force from grinding can damage your teeth, leaving them cracked or loose. Even if a cracked tooth doesn’t hurt now, it may in the future as the nerves and blood vessels become damaged. 

In more severe cases, the infection could enter and cause an abscess—a pus-filled pocket that may swell and contribute to pain.

Managing Bruxism

Ideally, our oral surgeon’s goal is to prevent any further complications or the need for dental surgery in Melbourne. Our practitioner also focuses on stopping any current symptoms.

Diagnosing the Problem

When you arrive at our office, our surgeon will evaluate your mouth for signs of bruxism, such as worn teeth. During your assessment, Dr. Sedaros may ask you to open your mouth and showcase your jaw’s range of motion. You’ll also be asked questions about your symptoms, medications, oral health, and sleep habits.

The next course of action is determining a treatment plan. For those who have a mental health issue that requires care beyond providing helpful stress management techniques, our surgeon may refer you to a mental health expert. 

Treating the Problem and Possibly Its Source

Often, our specialist will prescribe and fit you for a mouthguard if you’re suffering from bruxism as you sleep. This device has two sections, one for the top and one for the bottom. Each piece fits over your teeth to prevent them from touching as you sleep.

Part of the treatment approach may consist of learning how to manage stress better and refrain from habits that could contribute to grinding, such as drinking too much caffeine. 

Sometimes, you could need treatment beyond these options, which we can discuss. Prime example: let’s say you have TMJ that led to bruxism that all stemmed from a misalignment. Our practitioner can perform orthognathic surgery to correct the underlying problem.

If you have any complications already from grinding your teeth, our surgeon can assist with correcting these as well. 

Getting the Assistance You Need

If you’re a grinder, clench your teeth, or have signs you might do either, like jaw pain, contact our oral surgeon in Melbourne, FL, today! We can assess the problem and find the right treatment, possibly targeting the source. We can even prevent further difficulties. Not to mention, if you already have issues from bruxism, we can assist you with that as well.

We’re only a phone call away at 321-610-7868.