I told you about the harms and treatments of bruxism as a problem of clenching or grinding your teeth.
Our ancestors did not say in vain, "Squeeze your teeth!" saying. Yes, even though there is such a word, we dentists have been looking for various ways to prevent this clenching event for a long time. First of all, if we are asked what bruxism is, we can answer it as uncontrolled clenching of the teeth. This is done involuntarily (reflex) by the brain. It is mostly observed during sleep and can cause serious damage to the teeth and jaw joint for many years. According to researches, this condition is seen with a frequency of up to ninety percent in the society and is often not noticed by the person. It may be useful to follow up with a second person to observe the existence of this situation.
Although the reason is not known exactly, it is observed that it increases in psychological disorders and stress situations, and contrary to what is known, the use of antidepressant drugs increases the tendency to grind teeth (bruxism). Apart from this, it usually progresses in the form of increasing and decreasing periodically. In general, when you wake up in the morning, it is felt as a tenderness and pain in all teeth and jaw muscles.
In cases where the cause cannot be eliminated, orthodontic or prosthetic treatments can be planned in order to improve the contact points of the teeth and regulate the closure. The tooth distance lost due to wear over the years can be tried to be regained. In very advanced diseases, muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory drugs are used or some surgical interventions can be performed on the joint. Sometimes botox applications are applied to the chewing muscles to reduce the function of the muscles. In cases where the discomfort is advanced, splints can be used both day and night. Such complaints should not be neglected as they cause irreversible damage in long periods.
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