The name is really strange, but many people suffer from this habit and they don’t realize it. If you are among those people who tend to tighten and gnash your teeth while sleeping, don’t be alarmed, but you have bruxism.
The main symptoms of bruxism are: headache, aches in the muscles of the face, neck, shoulders, and pain when biting, yawning or opening the mouth; snap and crunch when occluding the teeth; also, a feeling of misaligned and twisted bite. That’s right. We need to be aware of these symptoms to identify the bruxism as soon as possible. But what is really the cause of this problem?
Bruxism has long been attributed to stress, but it seems that is not so simple.
After ten years of studies, a group of researchers in orofacial pain, bruxism and sleep disorders at PUC (Catholic University) of Rio Grande do Sul, began to take a new approach to the problem, in which the stress is no longer the villain that causes bruxism but only a factor that contributes to it.
For these scholars, bruxism is associated with difficulty in breathing during light the sleep stage prior to deep sleep.
Exactly! When it occurs during the day it is just an acquired habit that needs to be changed. But when it causes disease symptoms, especially in light sleep stages the need for oxygen is higher than in deep sleep. Those who stay for a long time in light sleep can have up to 40 minutes per night of bruxism.
According to Gilles Lavigne, author of the first book in the world on sleep disorders for dentists “Sleep Medicine for Dentists: The Overview Practical”, which doesn’t have a translation into Portuguese yet, when we sleep, the head is in a horizontal position, and the jaw is in a vertical position, and it falls back, a fact that prevents the passage of air in the oropharynx region.
So, because our body is very organized, and in a wise attempt to let us breathe, it projects the jaw forward, causing the excessive grinding of the teeth and clenching the jaw, and because it remains in that position, the muscle is strained to prevent the jaw to fall back again, causing bruxism and its various symptoms.
According to phonoaudiologist Dra.Caroline Saman, partner of our blog Sport & Health, in a quantum view, the thing to do is to find out what the reason for the delay to reach a deep sleep is.
These causes can be: overweight, very small jaw, uvula and / or large amygdala, alcohol and drugs, genetic predisposition, low production of saliva, heavy food before sleep, stress and light or noise in the room which would disturb the sleep, lack of physical activity, among other factors.
During the evaluation, it is essential to check all those factors before beginning the treatment. And it is not a motive for despair: with habit changes things can improve.
The tips are: maintain a healthy feeding, use quantum florals (Bach flower remedies) to stabilize the body and improve the quality of sleep, practice facial exercises.
All this combined, of course, with the work of a dentist.
The classic dental treatment for bruxism is accomplished by using plates which protect the teeth and relax the muscles, the so called “bruxism plates”. According to Dr. Marcos El Saman, a specialist in orthodontics, the problem is that these traditional plates only relax the muscles and do not solve the cause of the disorder. The best thing to do is to use a plate in both arches with a mandibular advancement device to protect teeth and to ensure proper breathing while we sleep. These devices also promote stretching of the elevator muscle of the jaw and also promote facial rejuvenation.
The definitive cure for bruxism doesn’t exist yet, but these latest researches have helped a lot in controlling the problem and consequently in improving the quality of life.
So, let’s get rid of bruxism!
Take care of yourself! And live better!
A big kiss!
