Join Today
What is Bruxism?
Tooth grinding and clenching – also known as Bruxism – is an under-diagnosed condition that affects approximately 80% of the population. Many individuals are oblivious to their teeth grinding, or don’t think to mention the symptoms to their dentist because, with the exception of tooth wear, they are not typically dental related. However, if untreated, the condition can have a real impact on your oral and general well-being.
Signs of bruxism are very common throughout our adult patient base. Many people grind and/or clench their teeth without problem, sometimes from a very young age. However a large number suffer from symptoms, ranging from headaches to painful jaw and neck ache. Most of the time, teeth clenching and grinding is related to stress and anxiety. If you’ve had a stressful or uncertain time recently, it’s likely that you’ve been teeth parafunctioning, perhaps without even knowing you’re doing it.
Intense and repeated contraction of the muscles can result in both inflammation of the muscle itself and tooth wear, possibly leading to tooth and muscle ache. The surrounding tissue and joints can also be seriously impacted and migraine-like headaches are common, especially on waking.
What can I do?
There are a variety of signs and symptoms that you should look out for, before deciding whether or not to see one of our dentists in Wimbledon for help and advice:
Facial pain – Do you feel like you have a sore face in and around your cheekbones and jaw area? If so, booking an appointment at the dentist may be necessary.
Worn-down teeth – If your teeth feel more fragile and sensitive than usual, it’s a sign that you’ve been unconsciously grinding your teeth. We recommend you coming to see us in this instance. Worn-Down Teeth, left untreated, can often lead to tooth loss.
Broken teeth, crowns or other restorations – If you’ve recently broken or chipped a tooth and you’re unsure why; this may be a result of bruxism. As you repeatedly bring your teeth together, the enamel starts to chip away and over a long period of time, can leave your tooth severely damaged. The tooth may then inconspicuously break on something very soft such as a piece of toast. This precipitates a dental visit but it is important to understand how the tooth was weakened primarily for something which is harder than steel to be broken by a piece of food.
Headaches – Are you struggling to sleep with headaches that are accompanied by mild or severe tooth pain? Headaches can be worse on waking.
What can Infinitidental Clinic do to help?
When you visit your dentist at Infinitidental Clinic, you’ll be glad to know that they have an abundance of experience with tooth surface loss and the other effects of bruxism, with the confidence and resources to get to the bottom of your problem and actually help.
Our dentists will analyse your soft tissues, teeth and facial muscles for signs of this habit during your comprehensive check-up. Once we’ve identified any potential issues, we will then suggest a treatment plan that will offer the most effective path for relieving anysymptoms and getting your dentition protected.
Teeth grinding and clenching can be the cause of many painful symptoms, some of which can be random and very vague. We believe in driving awareness of this under-diagnosed condition which is highly prevalent. Painkillers aren’t a permanent solution!
Download the brochures
We offer a range of treatments including:
Sleep clinch inhibitor – Compared to a traditional guard, the SCI+ is a small tailor-made dental splint that is much less invasive than a full arch device. Worn at night one either the upper or lower arch, the splint sits between your front teeth, fully protecting the back teeth by preventing them from making contact. In doing so, muscle clench intensity is minimised and damage from bruxism becomes almost impossible. By inhibiting the unwanted muscle activity, the tension that causes migraines, headaches, and jaw and neck pain is greatly reduced.
Traditional tooth splints – There are various types proposed to help reduce the effects of bruxism on the dentition. These occlusal splints are in general more expensive and difficult to make and adjust to fit comfortably. As the posterior teeth are not separated, the intensity of the closing muscles of the jaw is not greatly reduced and thus these splints may not be as beneficial for migraines, headaches, neck and jaw pain as the SCi+ splints.
Muscle relaxing injections – Use of toxins delivered by injection into the closing muscles of the jaw to render them less able to contract powerfully. These are ideal to use in conjunction with or SCi+ therapy. These injections can also help change the shape of the angle of the jaw which may be desirable for some individuals.
Benefits of SCi+ tooth splints for bruxism treatment
- Relief from associated symptoms – occlusal splints aid in reducing the side effects (headaches, migraines, stiffness in neck and jaw, ear ache, unsettled sleep and wearing of teeth) caused by teeth grinding and clenching.
- Protection of your smile– SCi+ splints allow for separation of your teeth, stopping contact and preventing clenching or grinding, thus minimising the negative effects of this destructional habit.
- Excellent clinical results– SCi+ splints are FDA (Federal Drug Agency) approved for the treatment of headaches and medically diagnosed migraines, with some studies reporting a better efficacy than analgesia.
- A perfect fit for your teeth – Simple to make, our tooth splints are custom made for you. Typically, they take just 10-15 minutes to ensure correct fitting.
- A fast chairside procedure– Treatment time / time in the dentist chair is limited – making tooth splints a quick process.