Bruxism consists of an involuntary, aimless, repetitive, steteotyped oral activity characterized by teeth clenching or grinding. The disorder is heterogeneous and distinguishes wakeful from sleep bruxism. Wakeful bruxism arises in a variety of psychological, neurological, and orodental conditions.
Bruxism can be associated with some mental health and medical disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, dementia, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), epilepsy, night terrors, sleep-related disorders such as sleep apnea, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
As both a neuromuscular and dental disorder, bruxism crosses specialty lines. Physicians (including neurologists) are not typically trained in evaluation of TMD related issues and many dentists lack specialized training (with the exception of treating malocclusion and preventing tooth damage).
What causes bruxism? Oral health specialists often point to too much stress and certain personality types as causes of bruxism. Bruxism often affects people with nervous tension, such as anger, pain, or frustration. It also affects people with aggressive, hurried, or overly competitive tendencies.
Bruxism refers to a condition in which a person repetitively grinds their teeth or clenches their jaw. ADHD does not cause bruxism, but there's a high prevalence among ADHDers from anxiety, stress, and hyperactivity.
Sleep bruxism: Mouth Appliances
If you're clenching your jaw in your sleep, appropriate intervention might include mouth appliance therapy and medication. A dental mouthguard (night guard or bite splint) might be prescribed by your dentist to protect your teeth and jaw.
Stimming can take many different forms: visual: staring off into space, drawing, spinning things like pens or coins. verbal/auditory: repeating sounds, excessive giggling, constantly clearing throat. tactile: rubbing fingers, chewing/biting nails, chewing the inside of cheeks.
Grinding or bruxism involves moving the jaw with the teeth held together. This results in substantial visible wear and flattening of the teeth which is usually obvious both to dentist and patient. Clenching is simply holding the teeth together and tightening the jaw muscles.
Bruxism is typically stress-related, but a misaligned jaw or missing teeth can also cause bruxism. Some people are more prone to teeth grinding and jaw clenching, including people who: Are under stress or feel anxious. Are highly competitive or aggressive.
Meige syndrome is a rare neurological disorder in which a person has involuntary and irregular contractions of the muscles that move the eyelids, lower face, jaw and tongue. Meige syndrome is one of a family of disorders known as dystonia.
Wrinkling your nose and baring your teeth is also part of the examination, to test if your facial nerve is okay. Vision is tested by asking the patient to identify letters or numbers on a board, just like eye tests at an ophthalmologist's (eye doctor).
Bruxism or Teeth Grinding is a common and worrying symptom in autism, especially in autistic children. Bruxism means keeping teeth together and forcefully grinding them with a grinding sound. It can result in damaged gum and bone structures.
If you're referred to a neurologist for TMJ, they may perform a comprehensive evaluation to determine the underlying cause of your symptoms. This may include a physical exam, review of medical history, and imaging tests such as an MRI or CT scan to evaluate the brain and jaw joint.
Researchers have found Buspar to be highly effective for depression and for preventing bruxism as a side effect. Consider switching your Paxil or Zoloft to Buspar to avoid jaw clenching and bruxism. Other medications that have been reported to cause bruxism include dopamine agents.
Bruxism directly involves the teeth and masticatory muscles; therefore, the trigeminal nerve, whose central nuclei include the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (MTN), the main sensory nucleus and the trigeminal spinal nucleus [2].
Many psychological factors have been thought to be related to the occurrence of bruxism. Most frequently, bruxism is associated with emotional stress, such as frustration, anger, anxiety, or fear. Children who have experienced more unpleasant life events have been found to be more likely to have bruxism.
If you suspect bruxism in yourself or your children, don't worry. It's not dangerous, but it can lead to discomfort and some inconvenient dental work if the grinding is severe enough to damage the teeth.
Early diagnosis of bruxism is necessary to avoid damage to the TMJ and other oral or facial structures such as teeth and masticatory muscles. Bruxism is present as an unconscious habit every day.
If bruxism goes untreated, it may lead to jaw muscle and joint problems. These are known as TMJ problems or TMD (temporomandibular disorder). You could even lose your teeth.
Some people may not even be aware that they are damaging their teeth every night while they sleep. This is unfortunate, because untreated bruxism can do a lot of harm and usually doesn't go away on its own.
Chronic, involuntary teeth grinding – technically called bruxism – can lead to all sorts of health problems. You could crack or fracture your teeth, which may require crowns or dental implants. You could also wear down the enamel on your teeth, leading to periodontal disease or lost teeth.
If you hide your adult ADHD symptoms from other people, that's called masking. Basically, you're trying to seem more “normal” or “regular.” ADHD causes some people to act hyperactive or impulsive. It makes other folks have trouble paying attention. And still other adults have a combination of those symptoms.
" Stimming ," also known as self-stimulating behaviors or stereotypy, are repetitive body movements or repetitive movements of objects.