Teeth grinding or BRuxism
Teeth Grinding/ Bruxism is a warning sign for airway distress
Sleep bruxism is considered a sleep-related movement disorder. People who clench or grind their teeth (brux) during sleep are more likely to have other sleep disorders, such as snoring and pauses in breathing (sleep apnea).
Mild bruxism may not require treatment. However, in some people, bruxism can be frequent and severe enough to lead to jaw disorders, headaches, damaged teeth and other problems.
Because you may have sleep bruxism and be unaware of it until complications develop, it's important to know the signs and symptoms of bruxism and to seek regular dental care.
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Sleep bruxism, or nighttime tooth clenching and grinding, rarely occurs in isolation without another condition influencing its presence, and one of the most common coexisting conditions is OSA.
Nearly 1 in 3 adults who are afflicted by OSA clench their jaws and grind their teeth at night. In contrast, approximately 1 in 8 adults in the general population suffer from sleep bruxism.
When a coexisting relationship is present, the successful treatment of sleep-disordered breathing, such as with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy or an oral appliance, may also greatly improve or eliminate sleep bruxism.
Signs and symptoms of bruxism may include:
- Teeth grinding or clenching, which may be loud enough to wake up your sleep partner
- Teeth that are flattened, fractured, chipped or loose
- Worn tooth enamel, exposing deeper layers of your tooth
- Increased tooth pain or sensitivity
- Tired or tight jaw muscles, or a locked jaw that won't open or close completely
- Jaw, neck or face pain or soreness
- Pain that feels like an earache, though it's actually not a problem with your ear
- Dull headache starting in the temples
- Damage from chewing on the inside of your cheek
- Sleep disruption
underlying causes
Epigenetic factors
Underdeveloped Upper and Lower Jaws
Underdeveloped Upper and Lower Jaws
- Bottle feeding
- soft baby food
- Thumb sucking
- pacifier usage
- allergies
- tongue habits.
Underdeveloped Upper and Lower Jaws
Underdeveloped Upper and Lower Jaws
Underdeveloped Upper and Lower Jaws
- Retracted maxilla
- Poor airway
- Weak oro-facial muscles
- Weak tongue
- Genetics
Lack of nasal breathing
Underdeveloped Upper and Lower Jaws
Lack of nasal breathing
- Mouth breathing
- Enlarged tonsils/adenoids
- Asthma
- Birth abnormalities
- Tongue tie
- Low tongue position.
- Reverse swallow