Sleep Apnea and Nighttime Teeth Grinding
Do you ever wake up with morning headaches, sore jaws or aching teeth?
Many people are surprised to learn that the cause of their teeth clenching and grinding (known as bruxism), may not actually be from their daily stress!
That midnight chewing action could be a sign of a sleep breathing disorder instead!
Are you telling me that Sleep Apnea and Nighttime Teeth Grinding are related?
Yes! And not only that, I am saying that the association has been found in adults as well as children![1]
Although it is not clear how the two are correlated, SleepFoundation.org says that studies conclude the two definitely go hand in hand.[2]
Unless someone points it out, many people don’t even realize they snore, stop breathing or grind their teeth while sleeping. Therefore, this can make a sleep airway disorder go unnoticed for many years, all the while unconsciously wreaking havoc on teeth and jaw joints, as well as lifestyle and health[3].
Signs of teeth grinding include:
- Headaches
- Face, head & neck muscle pain
- Jaw joint tenderness
- Cracked, chipped or broken teeth
- Gum recession
- Notches at the gum line of teeth
- Tooth sensitivity
Long-term effects of teeth grinding include:
- Pain in the ears, face & jaw
- Significant damage to teeth
- Short or flattened teeth
- Loose or painful teeth
- Crowns, fillings & Implants damaged
- Gum recession
- Loss of teeth
- Jaw joint problems leading to a host of other issues
Would you rather gain relief from the abusive effects of teeth grinding with a short-term “band-aid” such as mouth guards, splints and Botox that has to be paid for over and over again throughout your lifetime? Or would you like to treat the root cause for a short period of time in order to have a permanent fix for life?
There are a few permanent treatment options available in the world of dental sleep medicine. They range from invasive and painful surgery to fixed non-removable appliances to guides that gently use your body’s natural rhythms and growth to encourage a healthy dental arch form to develop.
At Airway, Sleep and TMJ Solutions, the latter treatment option is what Dr. Azouz has found to be very comfortable, and effective as well. We comfortably guide underdeveloped upper and lower jaws into a proper arch form with oral appliance therapy. The results of the therapy expand the upper airway into a healthy structure and therefore treat many sleep breathing disorders including bruxism and sleep apnea in children as well as adults!
We would love to invite you to our office located in Citrus Heights, for a short presentation and question and answer time with Dr. Azouz to find out why jaws end up underdeveloped, constricting the airway and causing these symptoms.
If you notice any of the previously mentioned signs in yourself, your partner or your child, a consultation with Dr. Azouz should be on the top of your To-Do List, as the wear and long-term damage that teeth grinding and clenching can cause will just continue to get worse and therefore, more expensive to repair. He may also recommend a sleep test to evaluate if you have Sleep Apnea, which in the long run, could literally save your life!
Fun facts to chew on:
- Bruxism is classified as a sleep related disorder[4]
- Teeth should only touch each other while chewing.
- People can clench down with a force of up to 250 pounds throughout the night[5]
- Relationships can be strained when the bed partner is kept awake by loud teeth grinding and snoring from their bed partner[6]
This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26715296/
[3] https://www.medicinenet.com/teeth_grinding_bruxism/article.htm