Questions and answers about teeth grinding symptoms

In dormitories, especially in college, there are always a few people who make noises when sleeping. Some may talk in their sleep, and some may grind their teeth. Teeth grinding is very common. In fact, teeth grinding is a disease called bruxism. It not only affects the normal rest of people around, but also causes great harm to one's own teeth. The patients themselves are not aware of it. There are many reasons that lead to bruxism. Let's take a look at it below.

Bruxism refers to patients who have the habit of grinding their teeth during sleep or unconsciously during the day. It gradually worsens over time and is a long-term vicious cycle disease. Since it often occurs during sleep at night, it is also called "nocturnal bruxism".

Nocturnal bruxism is caused by abnormal excitement of some brain cells in the central nervous system, which leads to dysfunction of the trigeminal nerve, causing strong and persistent non-functional contraction of the chewing muscles, resulting in a chewing movement with a rattling sound. People are in the period of replacing teeth between the ages of 6 and 13. It is normal to grind teeth to adapt to the grinding of the upper and lower teeth. However, if teenagers and adults who have passed the tooth replacement period often grind their teeth, it is a pathological condition.

See, I’m not kidding, regular teeth grinding is really a disease! Being criticized is considered the least severe, divorce is not uncommon...it's really scary! Teeth grinding is a disease and must be treated early. Common causes of teeth grinding include:

Too much mental stress

The mental burden that stress brings to people is the main cause of bruxism. Especially those workers who require a high degree of concentration, such as writers, are nervous and physically tired during the day and are prone to bruxism at night.

Poor ability to express emotions

Psychologists believe that bruxism is a phenomenon caused by the refusal to express anger and hatred, or the inability to express emotions. When people try to escape subconscious psychological pressure, they may grind their teeth in dreams or during sleep.

Misalignment of upper and lower teeth

Habits such as unilateral chewing and biting pencils will cause uneven teeth arrangement and abnormal growth position, which will destroy the coordination of the chewing organs. The body will then try to eliminate the bite disorder by increasing the grinding of the teeth, resulting in bruxism.

Wrong sleeping posture

Side-lying and stomach-lying sleeping positions are also prone to bruxism. These postures cause uneven pressure on the lower neck, change the position of the joints, and create interfering contact between the teeth, which increases the tension of the jaw muscles and results in clenching or grinding of the teeth.

Caused by gastrointestinal diseases

Not only gastrointestinal diseases can cause bruxism, but nutritional deficiencies, hyperuricemia, hyperthyroidism, irritable bladder, endocrine disorders, etc. may also be related to bruxism.

Bad living habits

First of all, eating too much at night will cause the stomach to be overburdened, and you will grind your teeth involuntarily while sleeping. Secondly, strenuous exercise before going to bed will cause the excited nerves during sleep to send "signals", instructing the facial chewing muscles to move, resulting in bruxism.

The most direct harm of nocturnal bruxism is to the teeth. The biting force of nocturnal bruxism is more than three times that of normal. If it continues for a long time, it will cause severe wear of the teeth, damage the periodontal tissue, and even the mandibular joint, causing facial and head pain. While putting a mental burden on yourself, it also affects others.