Teeth Grinding

Grinding and clenching your teeth can cause significant pain and damage, with people often not aware they’re doing it. Treat the symptoms and causes of teeth grinding and avoid unnecessary discomfort in your jaw.

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What is Bruxism?

Tooth grinding or Bruxism as it is known amongst dental and medical professionals is parafunctional (abnormal) jaw activity – as it falls outside what is considered ‘normal’.

Tooth grinding can occur at any time of the day, by people of all ages but is most common during sleep. Clenching the jaws and teeth during the day often occurs during period of strenuous activity or stress with sufferers not even aware that they are doing it.

Symptoms and Signs of Tooth Grinding and Bruxism

A lot of people who clench or grind their teeth are not actually aware that they are doing so and may not have visible signs of tooth wear or damage. Others will have significant signs of tooth wear (wear facets), flattening of teeth and their cusps, cracked teeth, jaw and muscle pain, headaches, migrane -type pain, neck and shoulder pain, jaw stiffness and and even ear ache and sleeping problems.

What causes tooth grinding?

  • Structural Triggers – A discrepancy between the correct position of the jaw in its joint below the ear and the most comfortable way that the teeth come together (premature occlusal contacts and occlusal interferences).
  • Psychological Triggers – Stress and nervous tension
  • Physiological Triggers – being unwell, sick, tired and ‘run down’
  • Chemical Triggers –alcohol consumption, tobacco and drug use, caffeine and amphetamines can all enhance the contraction of the jaw muscles and bring about severe clenching and grinding as can withdrawal from drug dependencies such as nicotine
  • Habitual – After months or even years of grinding and clenching the activity becomes a habit, therefore to eliminate other factors will not completely stop habitual grinding and clenching without addressing the habit itself.

 

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Treatment with Melbourne's best

As CDIC’s leading dentist, Dr Hillel New has been providing patients with exceptional dental care for over 32 years. Dr New has built a vast reputation for providing quality, pain-free treatments in both cosmetic and implant dentistry, and is often called upon for his expertise in identifying and troubleshooting problems with dental implants.

His dental treatment philosophy centres around a commitment to evidence-based dentistry, and he believes in effective communication as the key to treatment success and positive long-term relationships with his patients.

Therapies & treatmnets for toothgrinding and bruxism

It is very important to note that there exists no cure for tooth grinding and bruxism. Treatment is designed to reduce the occurrence, frequency and intensity and the associated signs and symptoms.

No one treatment is considered better than the other. At CDIC we find that a combination approach is best when it comes to the management of tooth grinding and clenching related problems.

Anti-Wrinkle Injection Therapy

This is a cutting edge treatment that is slowly gaining popularity for a range of therapeutic purposes in particular the treatment of Bruxism and other orofacial, dentofacial and jaw joint related pain. See here for more information on the benefits of Anti-Wrinkle Injections for these conditions.

Our Principal Dentist Dr Hillel New has completed a comprehensive training program with the AAFE in Chicago & New York (USA) to deliver these treatments.

Get treatment at CDIC

Book a consultation with our team to discuss your options — we hope to see you soon.