Bruxism
Bruxism is a parafunctional behavior/habit where the patient grinds, hits, squeezes and touches the teeth or holds and tenses the jaw in the same position. Patients with complete absence of teeth may also have bruxism.
The habit of bruxism is more common than we imagine and happens involuntarily with involvement of our Central Nervous System (CNS), not being caused by anatomical factors such as occlusion.
It is divided into a few types. The best known are sleep and wakefulness – we no longer use the terms night or day, as we can sleep during the day and clench our teeth, or even spend hours awake at night and also clench our teeth. In each case the patient will present different conditions, different pathophysiology, different diagnoses and also different types of control.
The most common signs/symptoms of bruxism include wear, cracks, fractures and tooth sensitivity, marks on the side of the tongue and cheeks (alba line).
Commonly, Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD) is more associated with awake bruxism, which can lead the patient to report discomfort, tiredness or muscle pain in the face and neck, headache, dislocations and noises in the TMJs.
Bruxism has no cure, only control. Approaches must be reversible, and bruxism can be understood as a sign of another health condition.
