Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)

What is bruxism?

Symptoms of bruxism

Causes of bruxism

Treatment and remedies for bruxism

References

What is bruxism?

Bruxism is the habitual clenching or grinding of the teeth. Both children and adults do it, usually when they feel stressed or tense. Most people do it at some time in their lives, and it is usually mild enough not to be a problem with insomnia, jaw alignment or noticeable wearing down of teeth.

Bruxism is an unconscious habit that can occur during the day or at night (sleep bruxism), or even during a short nap. It is bruxism whilst sleeping that causes most health problems.

Bruxism can occur when the teeth touch for a fraction of a second (similar to chewing) or when the teeth touch for several seconds (clenching).

Most bruxers are not aware that they are grinding their teeth. Usually a sleeping partner or parent will notice the bruxism before the person bruxing is aware of it. Bruxism can be loud enough to wake a sleeping partner. A dentist may alert a patient to bruxism during a visit, when the damage to teeth is visible.

Symptoms of bruxism

• Dental damage will usually occur over time, wearing down the teeth, loosening the teeth, and risking tooth loss and gum recession.
• Pain in the jaw's joints or jaw muscles, or the teeth involved (toothache / tooth pain).
• Headaches.
• Sore and sensitive teeth.
• Muscle tension throughout the day.
• Migraines triggered by clenching.
• Neck pain and stiffness.
• Depression, anxiety, chronic stress and tension leading to cardiovascular problems. (3)
• Earache.
• Eating disorders.
• Insomnia.
• Tinnitus.

Causes of bruxism

1. Muscle dysfunction. Bruxism is caused by a muscle dysfunction in which there is involuntary muscle movement. (10)

2. Serotonin and dopamine. This muscle dysfunction is caused by low levels of the feel good hormones serotonin and dopamine. (4, 6)

3. Vitamins B1 and D deficiency. Low levels of serotonin and dopamine are caused by stress, vitamin B1 (thiamine) (8) deficiency, and vitamin D deficiency (5, 7, 11).

Factors causing the above include:

• Extended high stress or trauma.
• SSRI pharmaceuticals. (2)
• Smoking.
• Alcohol.
• Caffeine excess.
• Family history of bruxism. (9)
• Poor bite alignment.
• Breathing through the mouth rather than the nose. (12)
• Certain medical conditions and ailments including digestive problems, sleep apnoea (9) and allergic reactions.
• Drug use, including alcohol, smoking, amphetamines and related stimulants.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
• Disorders such as Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases.

Treatment and remedies for bruxism

If diagnosed early (before it becomes habitual), finding and eliminating the original cause(s) may cure bruxism. Once bruxism becomes habitual, it should also be treated with habit-modification (1) such as biofeedback.

Your dentist can provide a custom-made dental guard. It should fit perfectly and be comfortable to wear while sleeping. If the dentist is too expensive, you can also buy a dental guard in many stores. You put them in hot water to make them soft enough to fit, and when they cool they stay in that shape. Dental guards prevent further damage to the teeth and unnecessary wearing.

• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) sufficiency. The best source of B vitamins is nutritional yeast. Food sources include home made milk kefir, sunflower seeds, meat, fish and real unprocessed foods.
• Vitamin D and getting outside into nature and sunlight.
• Stress and anxiety management.
• Eliminate or reduce alcohol, smoking, amphetamines and related stimulants, caffeine from coffee in excess of a couple of cups per day, black tea in excess of several cups per day.
• Nose breathing. Learn to habitually breathe through the nose, both while awake and while asleep. Nose breathing has significant benefits for your health, improving the level of nitric oxide production, improving energy production and mitochondrial health, and many other benefits. (12)

Remedies contributed by visitors to Grow Youthful. Most of them are natural home remedies. Visitors describe their experience, and vote on the effectiveness of the remedy.

References

1. Moti Nissani. When the Splint Fails: Non-Traditional Approaches to the Treatment of Bruxism. The Orthodontic Cyberjournal, June 2000.

2. Garrett AR, Hawley JS. SSRI-associated bruxism: A systematic review of published case reports. Neurol Clin Pract. 2018 Apr;8(2):135-141. PMID: 29708207; PMCID: PMC5914744.

3.Monika Michalek-Zrabkowska, Helena Martynowicz, Mieszko Wieckiewicz, Joanna Smardz, Rafal Poreba, Grzegorz Mazur. Cardiovascular Implications of Sleep Bruxism - A Systematic Review with Narrative Summary and Future Perspectives. J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10(11), 2245; doi.org/10.3390/jcm10112245.

4. Lobbezoo F, Lavigne GJ, Tanguay R, Montplaisir JY. The effect of catecholamine precursor L-dopa on sleep bruxism: a controlled clinical trial. Mov Disord. 1997 Jan;12(1):73-8. doi: 10.1002/mds.870120113. PMID: 8990057.

5. Sabir MS, Haussler MR, Mallick S, Kaneko I, Lucas DA, Haussler CA, Whitfield GK, Jurutka PW. Optimal vitamin D spurs serotonin: 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D represses serotonin reuptake transport (SERT) and degradation (MAO-A) gene expression in cultured rat serotonergic neuronal cell lines. Genes Nutr. 2018 Jul 11;13:19. doi: 10.1186/s12263-018-0605-7. PMID: 30008960; PMCID: PMC6042449.

6. Trinko JR, Land BB, Solecki WB, Wickham RJ, Tellez LA, Maldonado-Aviles J, de Araujo IE, Addy NA, DiLeone RJ. Vitamin D3: A Role in Dopamine Circuit Regulation, Diet-Induced Obesity, and Drug Consumption. eNeuro. 2016 May 19;3(2):ENEURO.0122-15.2016. doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0122-15.2016. PMID: 27257625; PMCID: PMC4875352.

7. Jaqueline Kalleian Eserian. Vitamin D as an effective treatment approach for drug abuse and addiction. Journal of Medical Hypotheses and Ideas, Volume 7, Issue 2, July 2013, Pages 35-39.

8. Saiki, M., Matsui, T., Soya, M. et al. Thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide promotes voluntary activity through dopaminergic activation in the medial prefrontal cortex. Sci Rep 8, 10469 (2018). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-28462-2.

9. Wieckiewicz M, Bogunia-Kubik K, Mazur G, et al. Genetic basis of sleep bruxism and sleep apnea-response to a medical puzzle. Sci Rep 10, 7497 (2020). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-64615-y.

10. Schames SE, Schames J, Schames M, Chagall-Gungur SS. Sleep bruxism, an autonomic self-regulating response by triggering the trigeminal cardiac reflex. J Calif Dent Assoc. 2012 Aug;40(8):670-1, 674-6. PMID: 22953526.

11. Alkhatatbeh MJ, Hmoud ZL, Abdul-Razzak KK, Alem EM. Self-reported sleep bruxism is associated with vitamin D deficiency and low dietary calcium intake: a case-control study. BMC Oral Health. 2021 Jan 7;21(1):21. doi: 10.1186/s12903-020-01349-3. PMID: 33413308; PMCID: PMC7792220.

12. James Nestor. Breath. The New Science of a Lost Art. 2020. ISBN: 978-0-241-28907-5.