By Arthur Kezian

Many people experience bruxism in their sleep. Bruxism is the grinding of teeth, especially during ones sleep at night. Although the higher percentage of this condition occurs in children it is very common in adults. The grinding of teeth usually doesn’t have serious repercussions but sometimes it can be dangerous and cause damage to the teeth and jaw muscles. One must take important actions to prevent this by making an appointment with a TMJ dentist who can present you with your many options and prevention methods.

Causes of Bruxism

The main cause of this condition is usually stress. However, due to the different ways through which people react to different stimuli, a person can have Bruxism because of other reasons. Aggressive personality traits, missing teeth, a complication of the Parkinson’s or Huntington’s disease are some of the other causes of bruxism.

Many of the people who experience Bruxism outgrow the habit and lead normal lives thereafter. If excessive bruxism is experienced, it can result to a more serious problem of temporomandibular joint disorder. This is the part located in both sides of the face which moves whenever you open or close your mouth; a person can feel it move with a hand. Dr Kezian, a renowned health practitioner notes that temporomandibular joint disorder, TMJ Pain, can cause serious problems like severe headaches or migraines, inability to chew properly and ear pain.

Treating Bruxism

A lot of studies have been undertaken with respect to this condition but there hasn’t been an exact reason that has been discovered to be the specific cause. Normally this condition is not severe and many times it goes away all on its own. A child can even outgrow it. However, if there is need to curb the condition for fear of getting out of hand and causing more serious problems, Dr Kezian advises that a person uses one of the many treatment methods available.

For the persons who have gone to the extreme and are unable to control the grinding of their teeth at night, the doctor provides a mouth guard. This device is worn at night and helps in preventing the damage of the teeth together with the gum. A person can also undergo a therapy session with a psychiatrist to determine the cause of their stressful situations and in retrospect solve the cause problem of Bruxism. The doctor can use both methods to help the patient deal with the condition effectively. If there is extensive interference with the TMJ pain, then seeing a specialist in this area is advisable.

Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS 443 N. Larchmont Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90004 (323) 467-2777