Daily Archives: September 13, 2011

Bruxism, the grinding of teeth and clenching of the jaw, occurs naturally to most people at some point in their lives.  Because it happens predominantly at night, the severity of it can often go unnoticed.  As far as sleep disorders goes, it is one of the most common. Bruxism, over a long enough period of time, can lead to the breaking and loss of teeth, severe headaches, migraines, and several other side effects. There are many symptoms a patient can present with, which include, but are not limited to, anxiety, headaches, insomnia, eating disorders, depression, and soreness or pain in the jaw. Only 5% of those suffering from it actually show symptoms, so it can be incredibly difficult to diagnose.  In many cases it is noticed by a parent or spouse of the one suffering from bruxism before symptoms even begin.

Because there are such a wide variety of things that can lead to tooth wear, such as aggressive brushing and lifestyle of the patient, Daly City dental experts suggest that it is difficult to diagnose bruxism simply by looking at a patients teeth. Even if symptoms are present in the patient, because they can also be attributed to several different things, the diagnosis can still be quite complicated.  If there is enough evidence supporting the fact that bruxism may be the case, the earliest possible intervention is important.  Daly City dentists suggest of all the methods available to test for it, the sleep lab is the most reliable.  At a sleep lab EMG measurements will be taken as the patient sleeps, showing the pattern and the triggers for the bruxing. There are also at home units available, self contained pieces of headgear the patient can rent if they feel more comfortable in their home.  With these units, they may need to be work for up to two weeks to gather all the necessary information.