Synonyms
Medical: Bruxism
Introduction
Not only adults suffer from teeth grinding, but also small children suffer from this malfunction, called parafunction. Teeth grinding (bruxism) often occurs during sleep and not only disturbs the sleep of others in the same room, but also leads to the grinding of teeth. The grinding of milk teeth, on the other hand, is a completely natural process. However, when the normal occlusion, i.e. when the occlusal surfaces fit together, the grinding of teeth should stop.
Causes
Crunching can have many different causes. The individual physical and mental condition and the environment of the person affected also plays a role. Even a simple filling or a new dental prosthesis such as a crown or bridge can cause a change in the bite position if the occlusion is poorly adjusted, resulting in a different temporomandibular joint and muscular position.
The temporomandibular joint is only capable of adjusting to another circumstance to a certain degree, but this is only slight. If, for example, the filling is much too high, the temporomandibular joint cannot adapt and attempts are made to reduce the disturbing contact by crunching. In doing so, much more force is put on the tooth, which can cause discomfort.
The musculature also tries to get used to the new condition and becomes increasingly tense. If this malposition is left as it is, the temporomandibular joint can also suffer lasting damage. The cartilage of the joint can be stressed excessively and become worn out or tear.
As a result, the temporomandibular joint can spring out, as it no longer has any proper guidance. Stress can also trigger or increase bruxism, especially during sleep. The main cause in children, as in adults, can be psychological stress.
This can be due to stress situations at home or, in the case of small children, to the situation in kindergarten. With older children it can also be stress situations at school, which are then processed at night with crunching. In addition, misalignments of the teeth or the jaw joint can also be the reason for teeth grinding.
This is especially the case when teeth have fallen out prematurely. Stress has been proven to cause an increase in the grinding of teeth. Especially at night, while the events of the day are being processed, increased stress causes more grinding and grinding.
Stress causes an increased production of the hormone cortisol, which reaches its highest level during the day in the evening. As a result, crunching occurs especially at night. When the person concerned wakes up the next morning, he or she feels severe discomfort in the mouth and jaw area, which is also expressed as severe tension in the muscles.
Jaw-cracking and headaches are also possible. Concerned ones feel thereby in stressful life situations increased complaints and impairments by spannings. Scientific studies could confirm this fact.
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