TMJ (jaw joint) Pain due to Bruxism (teeth grinding)

Many authorities believe published estimates on numbers of people who suffer bruxism - tooth grinding - to be too conservative. Even at that, one out of 20 adults and 3 out of 20 children are far too many when the solution can be so simple. Here again we find a common oral malady which both the profession and "public knowledge" have simply given up on...or address with expensive remedial (surgical) procedures.

Either "there's nothing you can do about it," or "We'll have to re-shape four of the teeth, use orthodontic braces to relocate some of them more favorably, extract two that are 'in the way' and install a bridge on one side, an inlay on the other.''
Would that correct the problem? - Who knows?

In fact, authorities are not in harmony as to the underlying cause of bruxism. For years it was assumed that stress and tension caused it: "Just nerves, emotional problems." Perhaps one contributor to this theory was the knowledge that younger people suffer three-to-one in comparison with more mature adults; and everybody knows youngsters are undergoing more transitional emotional stresses.

Well, they're undergoing more transitional dental stresses, too. More recent professional agreement holds that the cause of bruxism is probably a combination of factors: mis-aligned teeth, something dentists know as malocclusion; and probably some nervous tension. Of this combination of contributing factors, the physical relationship of the teeth is probably the major cause. Studies have not turned up any significant long term psychiatric or psychological differences between those who grind their teeth and those who don't.

Whatever the cause, tooth grinding can drive others in the family "right up the wall." In the still of the night, this noise can become so loud it seems to fill the house; waking parents or spouse, brothers or sisters from a sound sleep.

It is pointless to wake the grinder up and complain: The grinding stops when he wakes, sure - but it starts again when sleep returns.

Nor is this something which others in the family should try to ignore out of tolerance for the member who suffers from the problem. The individual may not even know he does this, even if it has become a pattern over many, many years. It can cause some pretty serious problems; so ignoring it, tolerating it, is not doing that individual a favor.

Normal teeth can exert excesses of 30,000 pounds per square inch in chewing: Think what this means when a person is grinding the teeth, which selectively puts the full pressure-loading on one or a few of the teeth rather than the full display.

It can chip teeth, or crack them. It can actually loosen them in their sockets: Rocking the tooth back and forth, repeatedly, can cause the jawbone to recede from the root. Any minor infection or irritation related to gum disorders can be aggravated by the constant tooth motion. Periodontal pockets are formed more easily under these conditions.

There's more: The muscular stresses involved cause movement of the muscles controlling the bite, seeking to accommodate a more comfortable jaw position. This, in turn, mis-aligns something else - more bruxing. The muscles and nerves of the oral environment have to live in harmony and concord with those in the face, neck, and head. When there is discord, the symptoms can spread elsewhere and show up as earache, headache, stiff and sore neck, shoulder and back muscles...and more.

The stresses and strains in the inter-related whole-body system will trigger reflexes seeking correction. The most likely neuromuscular reflex to stresses caused by bruxism is...right on: More of the same...grinding the teeth.

What should you do about it? Let's ask the American Medical Association. As it appeared in the A.M.A publication Today 's Health:

"Tooth grinding (bruxism) is largely an unconscious habit that can damage teeth, and breaking the habit has often been a frustrating problem for both patient and dentist. Recently a simple, new method has been suggested by Marvin P. Levin, D.D.S., and William Ayer, D.D.S., at the U.S. Army Institute of Dental Research, Waiter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.

"Fourteen bruxism patients were instructed simply to clench their teeth together as hard as possible for five seconds and then relax the jaw for five seconds, to repeat the procedure five times, and to continue the exercise six times daily for two weeks.
"Within 10 days, 11 of the 14 had successfully eliminated the grinding, and thus far, for six months, have not resumed the habit.(53/1/:12,1975)

Does it work for everybody? Maybe not; there is not enough data available. It works for a number of people who first heard of it through association with Oramedics; there are scientifically-sound reasons why it should work for most people.

If there are family members with bruxism problems in your household, it is easy to institute this simple (and absolutely free) therapy.

It will require follow-through: There's a fairly conscientious effort involved in doing anything six times a day for fourteen consecutive days. Adults will have to make a determined effort (you gotta wanna!) - and parents will have to do a heads-up job of supervising youngsters.

Make an effort...a genuine effort...if this problem affects you or a household member. It's important to oral health and peace of mind, both, to find a solution.