What is Bruxism?

Bruxism is a condition that includes the unconscious grinding, gnashing or clenching of the teeth when awake and asleep.

This grinding can cause fracturing, loosening or lose of teeth and can cause migraines, tension headaches, and jaw pain. Also can cause temporomandibular joints (TMJs) which occurs just in front of a persons ears, which causes a clicking sound when the mouth is opened and closed. 

Causes of Bruxism may be due to a combination of physical, psychological and genetic factors.

There are two categories of Bruxism;

-Awake Bruxism which can be caused by emotional responses such as; stress, anxiety, anger, frustration or tensions and can also be a coping strategy or habit during concentration.

-Sleep Bruxism which may be related to sleep chewing activity associated with signals from the brain during sleep.