Do you grind your teeth at night?

This habit is known as bruxism, but don’t worry, you’re not the first… or the last to grind their teeth while sleeping. This strange jaw behaviour was familiar to our ancestors back in ancient times, who saw it as a kind of divine punishment.

During the day, bruxism is not really a problem as we are able to release the tension in our jaws and reduce the pressure on our teeth. At night, on the other hand, the absence of conscious control can increase the tension leading to violent tooth knocking and grinding. In a single night, a bruxomaniac can grind their teeth for around 6 to 8 minutes. This wears out tooth enamel and also dentine and can lead to breakages and cause irreversible dental nerve lesions!

So what causes bruxism? It can be due to contact problems between the jaws causing discomfort and, as a reflex action, makes the suffer respond by biting their teeth together, gnashing them and grinding them so as to wear down the offending areas that are causing imperfect occlusion. But it can also be due to a stress-related psychosomatic problem. Whatever the cause, there is no treatment available. The only solution is to go and see your dentist so that he can sort out your damaged teeth….