Page 16 - Boyne Dental E-Mag

Bruxism is excessive teeth grinding or jaw clenching. It’s a repetitive jaw-muscle activity charac-
terized by clenching or grinding of the teeth and/or by bracing or thrusting of the jawbone. The
are two main types of bruxism: that which occur during sleep (sleep bruxism) and that which oc-
curs when awake (awake bruxism). Several symptoms are commonly associated with bruxism,
including hypersensitive teeth, aching jaw muscles, headaches, tooth wear, damage to dental
restorations (crowns and fillings) and damage to the entire teeth.

Dental treatment

Night guards or dental guards are commonly prescribed by dentists and dental specialist as a
treatment for bruxism. Night guards also called bite splints are removable dental appliances

carefully moulded to fit the upper and lower arches of teeth. They are divided into partial or full-
coverage splints depending whether they fit on some or all of the teeth. A lower splint can be
worn alone, or in combination with an upper splint. Usually lower splints are better tolerated in
people with sensitive gag reflex.

Night guards/splints may also reduce muscle strain by al-
lowing the upper and lower jaw to move easily with respect
to each other. They protect the teeth and restoration sur-
faces, manage jaw dysfunction and stabilize the jaw joints

during occlusion (the position of the teeth when the jaws
are closed ). Splints generally cover all the teeth of the upper and lower arch, but partial coverage
is sometime used.

It is advisable to start wearing the splints 30 minutes before going to bed so your mouth get used
to it. As an added measure to hypersensitive teeth in bruxism, desensitizing toothpaste contain-
ing strontium chloride can be applied initially inside the splint. It is best to wear it during every
night’s sleep on a long-term basis.