Clenching your teeth is common when you’re angry, aggravated, in pain, or otherwise agitated. Tapping your foot and drumming your fingers are frequent signs of nervousness, and humming is a popular tic for some people. Only one of these habits, though, can prove detrimental if allowed to continue without intervention. Habitual teeth-grinding, known as bruxism, can be more than annoying; it can signify a more serious dental condition that can threaten your mouth’s foundation, and it can destroy your teeth through constant pressure and friction. Astoria dentist, Dr. Jeffrey Leibowitz, explains how bruxism can be your teeth’s worst enemy, and explores the habit’s connection to the severe discomfort of TMJ disorder.
More than Your Teeth were Meant to Take
Your mouth is like an intricate machine, designed to accomplish its goals with minimal strain and wear on its various components. To put that into perspective, the human bite can exert up to 200 pounds of pressure on its back molars. While not every bite will be so powerful, your mouth is the most used part of your body, and the continuous stress can take a toll on the teeth that bear it.
Your mouth is designed to protect itself; for instance, your jaw’s joints are designed to evenly displace the pressure, and the enamel that coats your teeth is the strongest substance that your body produces. However, your mouth was not meant to withstand constantly grinding your teeth when there’s no food between them, and doing so can wear down these defenses and seriously damage your teeth.
More than Your Jaws were Meant to Take
Your temporomandibular joints, or TMJs, are the joints responsible for your jaw’s wide range of movements. As gliding joints, they disperse pressure evenly instead of concentrating it on a single area. A number of different issues can contribute to the dysfunction of these joints and the muscles that surround them, but bruxism and the extreme pressure it places on your jaws is one of the most significant causes. Conversely, spasms caused by TMJ disorder can also be a contributing factor to involuntary clenching and grinding, making bruxism as much an indication of TMJ disorder as it is a cause.
Stop Teeth-Grinding with Help from Astoria Dentist
In most cases, the damage caused by teeth-grinding, which typically occurs most often at night, can be prevented with a special, custom-designed sleepguard that can prevent your teeth from grinding together when you sleep. If you believe you may suffer from bruxism and would like to learn more about protecting your oral health from it, don’t hesitate to visit Dr. Leibowitz as soon as possible. To schedule a dental consultation, contact your Astoria dentist by calling (718) 728-8320. We proudly serve patients from Astoria, Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the surrounding communities.
