Teeth grinding in the night

During sleep the body shuts down and recovers. Especially during this time the activities of the day are processed during dreaming. It is not uncommon for crunching to occur especially during this time.

The affected person gets up in the morning and feels increasing discomfort. It is not uncommon for the mouth opening to be difficult. Before falling asleep, the stress hormone cortisol has the highest concentration.

This level is reduced at night so that it reaches its lowest level in the morning. During the breakdown, the patient crunches more and more unnoticed. When awake, crunching and pressing is prevented by inhibition mechanisms that are inactive at night.Affected by this are especially people with a stressful everyday life or people who find themselves in a stressful life situation. It can be said with scientific evidence that stress favors the nightly crunching and pressing tremendously.

Teeth grinding therapy

Up to the age of 3 years, teeth grinding at night is a completely natural process and therefore does not require any therapy. The therapy of teeth grinding in adults is the wearing of a grinding splint, which is worn at night. This at least prevents the harmful effects of teeth grinding on the teeth.

This is often not possible with small children, because they do not tolerate the wearing of a night splint so easily and, in addition, new splints would have to be made at shorter intervals, since the jaw is constantly changing due to growth. Only when the permanent teeth have broken through, a splint can be made and worn to treat teeth grinding. This only prevents damage to the enamel, but does not eliminate the actual cause.

Only when the cause of this parafunction has been identified, a specific therapy of the teeth grinding can provide a remedy. Until then one has to live with the condition. If the reason for the nightly teeth grinding is a malposition of the teeth, for example, that one tooth is higher than the others, the dentist can restore the normal position by grinding it down and thus eliminate the cause.

Therefore, the dentist or orthodontist should be consulted in any case to initiate a suitable therapy. Therapeutic approach against teeth grinding, is the splint therapy. In order to prevent excessive strain on the teeth and the entire muscle and jaw joint apparatus, a plastic splint is made.

This splint can be made for either the upper or lower jaw. By taking an impression at the dentist’s office, the dental technician can use the models to draw a perfectly fitting splint, which is then worn during the night. This splint prevents the teeth from coming together and can absorb and cushion the pressing.

You can choose between a soft plastic or a hard, firm plastic splint. There is also the possibility to combine a soft plastic on the inside and a hard plastic on the outside. The therapy result is the same for all variants.

The patient decides with which variant he or she can best cope. Wearing the splint prevents excessive tension of the muscles and relieves the temporomandibular joint. In addition to physiotherapy, there are a handful of exercises that the patient can do at home to help prevent crunching.

One recommendation is to insert a cherry stone into the oral cavity and move it circularly with the tongue. The stiffened muscles are loosened and trained at the same time. This exercise should be performed daily for half to three-quarters of an hour.

The patient trains himself to avoid unnoticed pressing even in strenuous situations. Chewing gums are not recommended, as they tend to promote bruxism due to the excessive chewing movement. Furthermore, external massage can loosen the chewing muscles to prevent the formation of knots.

The massage movement should be done rotating with a light pressure without hurting. Another form of exercise is the controlled maximum mouth opening, which should also be done once a day. The patient should open his mouth 10 to 20 times in a controlled manner to the maximum position without pain.

After a few weeks the exercise can be extended so that the hand is pressed manually against the lower jaw to create a slight resistance. The chewing muscles are stretched and cramps can be released. In addition to splint therapy, the dentist prescribes physiotherapy to loosen the muscles and relieve tension.

The physiotherapist massages the chewing muscles and massages out knots. The patient can also do these massage exercises independently and supportively at home, but this exercise cannot replace physiotherapy. Circular, slightly pressureful massage exercises with both hands in the cheek region can have a positive effect on tension.

Furthermore, the therapy approach of progressive muscle relaxation can be followed, in which all facial muscles are tensed for about 5 seconds, e.g. by crumpling. After 5 seconds of stress, 20 seconds of relaxation follow. However, care should be taken to ensure that the chewing muscles are not also tensed.Home remedies can temporarily alleviate complaints caused by teeth grinding, for example, by cooling, but there is no home remedy that can reach the cause or even heal it.

The literature advises against taking dietary supplements such as magnesium or calcium, but there is no evidence that any of the remedies can help against bruxism. Globules can be used in many different ways and are a central therapeutic approach in homeopathy. Phytolacca D6 is the central globule, which is supposed to relieve the craving for crunching.

Podophyllum D6 is used for teeth grinding in childhood, which is also used for dental problems. Zincum metallicum D12 is the homeopathic remedy of choice for night-time teeth grinding. In general, there is nothing wrong with a supporting administration of globules in addition to splint therapy, as long as it does not impair the success of the therapy. The dentist treating the patient should be consulted to clarify the dosage.