Bruxism, the origin of many ailments

It is possible that after reading this article, you will realize that many of your ailments may come from a relatively unknown phenomenon: bruxism.

What is bruxism?

Most people don't realize it, because for most of you, you do it in your sleep. Bruxism is a problem that is very present. It is a fairly simple gesture: it is the act of clenching your teeth, outside of a situation where the teeth are normally in contact: such as swallowing or chewing.

We are not going to talk about teeth whitening in this article, if this is the topic that interests you, read our full article on teeth whitening

Bruxism affects both men and women, and a large part of the population. It affects about 14% of children, 10 to 12% of adolescents and finally about 8% of adults. The prevalence of bruxism decreases with age.

How do you know if you have bruxism?

Bruxism is an involuntary, intense and repeated movement over time, caused by stress or frustration and which affects women in 80 to 90% of cases, mainly for hormonal reasons. In most cases, people who suffer from this condition wake up every morning very tired, with a painful jaw to say the least. When our jaw is contracted, the pressure on it can reach up to 200 kilos! Clenching our teeth is therefore very exhausting for our body.
Bruxism is a relatively unknown and ignored phenomenon. It is different from teeth grinding and it has many repercussions on health, which can cause many pathologies. Migraine, chronic fatigue, sleep disorders, neck pain, back pain: all of these can be directly caused by bruxism.

Bruxism in very young children usually disappears with the appearance of permanent teeth. It is suggested to relax the child with a story, soft music, a brief massage and to promote calm. In some cases, a mouth guard may be suggested.
Clenching your teeth or having poor dental alignment can send messages throughout the body that can trigger painful conditions. This is why bruxism is the cause of many ailments.

What are the symptoms of bruxism?

• Neck pain, intense fatigue
• Toothache psychological cause
• Bruxism and stress
• Bruxism and dental migraine
• Clenching teeth while sleeping
• Jaw contracts

How to get rid of bruxism?

With fairly simple gestures, bruxism can be easily cured. During the day, to avoid clenching your teeth, simply pinch your lips. You can also place the tip of your tongue between your teeth, for people who would like to be more discreet.

To solve the problem of nocturnal bruxism, the dentist can administer injections of anesthetic to the jaw, to relax it and prevent it from tensing up. Wearing a dental splint may also be recommended: the thickness of the splint triggers a jaw-opening reflex.
As it is a problem of psychological origin, relaxation techniques such as sophrology for example are also an area to explore, and behavioral principles must be adopted. If we treat the problem seriously, results arrive from the first days and we can cure it in a few weeks. But know that there will always be bruxism solution to cure you.

How to relax your jaw?

Bruxism causes jaw problems. A contracted jaw tires the human body. Bruxism solution is not to contract the jaw but to relax it. To relax your jaw, you must:

• Knead your chin : Make a circular message with your fingertips by pressing on the entire length of your jaw. From the jaw to the earlobes. Repeat the exercise 3-4 times.
  
  
• Massaging your ears : Place your index fingers on the cartilage and massage this area from top to bottom for one minute. Massage with your mouth closed for 30 seconds and your mouth open for the last 30 seconds. You will release tension allowing your jaw to relax.
  
  
• Loosen up your jaw by doing exercises: like moving your lower jaw from left to right and vice versa. And doing it back and forth, moving your jaw forward and back. Do these two exercises about ten times. Remember to yawn at the end of the exercise, even if you don't feel like it, do the movement as if you were yawning.
  
  
• Say OU-AH : repeating the vowels slowly will help relax your jaw. Don't hesitate to exaggerate your articulation and make grimaces.

Jaw massage is essential to relax your jaw and treat your bruxism. It is a method that you can do yourself. Self-massage can be practiced whenever you need it and as many times as necessary. In addition to jaw massage, you can also opt for hot compresses that will increase blood circulation in the mouth, which will help relax your jaw.

Childhood bruxism

Your child may have bruxism. He will tend to rub his lower teeth on the upper one while contracting his jaw, which will create a rather impressive noise. Childhood bruxism tends to decrease or even disappear as he grows up. There is very little during adolescence but can return once an adult because of stress or anxiety.

If you liked this article related to teething, you can increase your knowledge by reading this article on teeth in general but also the one on baby teeth . After that you would be an expert on teething!

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