Diagnosis
The diagnosis is usually made by the dentist. In this case, a check of the incisal edges is usually sufficient to determine whether the teeth are crunching or not. The diagnosis can usually be made in conjunction with the patient consultation. In exceptional cases, a myogram of the chewing muscles can be taken at night. Here the electrical muscle activity is recorded.
Therapy
Dental treatment of teeth grinding at night is done by splint therapy. For this purpose, a plastic splint is inserted over the upper or lower teeth at night. Instead of the natural teeth, the plastic is worn out.
Especially when teeth grinding at night, you should not watch TV or play PC directly before going to bed, but if possible come to rest and do only relaxing things. However, this is only a symptomatic therapy. A final therapy is only possible by eliminating teeth grinding as a means of coping with stress.
To do this, the daily stress must be reduced or otherwise relieved (sports/relaxation exercises). As a rule, someone not only grinds their teeth at night, but also grinds or clenches them during the day. This must be resolved again and again by consciously relaxing the chewing muscles, so that this can also enter the subconscious in the long term. A causal therapy therefore requires the active cooperation of the patient and, in contrast to symptomatic therapy, is rather long-term.
The creak splint
Splint therapy is the therapy of choice for crunching during the night. The splint, which is also called a bite splint or crunching splint, is made of plastic. It is made in a dental laboratory to fit the individual patient by taking impressions of the upper and lower jaw and making a model to fit the splint.
It does not matter whether the splint is made for the upper or lower jaw and whether it is made of a soft, a hard or a combined plastic. The bite splint is then fitted and grinded in such a way that all teeth are evenly positioned. Now the patient can use the splint every evening for the night and wear it while sleeping, so that the teeth do not come directly on top of each other and do not rub against each other through the splint.
The occlusal splint acts as a barrier and as a suspension and reduces the load on the teeth. Wearing the splint requires a certain amount of acclimatization, but this is quickly achieved. As a rule, splint therapy reduces the discomfort caused by grinding after only a short period of getting used to it, as grinding is prevented.
Patients report that they sleep better and get up in the morning without pain in their jaws, chewing apparatus and joints. Since the splint wears off after some time, it is advisable to check it at least once a year at every dental checkup. A new splint should be made every two years to ensure optimal protection against grinding at night.
