All About Bruxism (Teeth Grinding) and TMJ
April 7, 2010
“Bruxism” is the medical term for teeth grinding or teeth clenching, It is often experienced at night and in some more severe cases during the day too – so grinding your teeth is known as “bruxing”. Other related symptoms are jaw clenching or clamping, snoring and teeth grinding. Sometimes it can be related to sleep apnea too.
Teeth grinding responds very well to being treated with Hypnosis. Although you may not be sure exactly what is causing your teeth to grind, one thing is certain – somewhere in your Subconscious mind a signal is being sent instructing your teeth to grind and/or your jaw to clench. Hypnosis can be useful by implanting a suggestion into the Subconscious mind to simply stop grinding your teeth.
The main problem of grinding your teeth is that it can wear down your own teeth. It can keep you awake at night, it can cause jaw muscle pain and damage – and even worse – cause TMJ that stands for Temporomandibular Joint Disorder that could actually be the cause of teeth grinding in the first place. Although Hypnosis can be useful, teeth grinding could be the symptom of something more serious. My advice is to immediately get checked. I am listing some underlying causes and symptoms of teeth grinding so if any of them might sound familiar, investigate deeper and check with your Doctor or Dentist for an accurate medical diagnose.
Causes of Teeth Grinding:
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder affects many people and can get worse if not treated. Basically the Temporomandibular Joint connects your lower jaw to your skull, so you have two of those joints – one on each side. The range of problems that it can cause are:
- Misalignment
- Injuries to the jaw area
- Various forms of arthritis
- Dental procedures
- High and Low-level infections
- Auto-immune diseases
- Stretching of the jaw
- Clenching or grinding of the teeth (as mentioned before)
Other cause could be internalized Anger – an emotion of unhappiness and frustration with a particular situation that you are unable to control. Our instinctive or primitive way to respond to anger would be with aggression, but in today’s “advanced” society that is not an option. Instead we are expected to control our anger “appropriately” so we tend to internalize it – bottle it up. These can lead to not only high blood pressure and depression, it can cause teeth grinding in some cases. Beneficial methods of dealing with anger in a more positive way can be Hypnotherapy for acquiring a more effective self-expression, assertiveness and relaxations techniques to promote internal calmness.
Stress can impact just about anything related to your health and well being. If you have too much stress in your life – and most of us do – you should immediately take steps to learn how to manage it. There are many different ways – again Hypnosis, exercise, or medication.
Mineral and Vitamin deficiencies can in certain situations lead to teeth grinding – that uncontrolled motor activity. In such a case Pantothenic acid can be of help as it is an anti-stress vitamin that can help by reducing the production of hormones stimulating your Adrenal Glands. Calcium deficiency can lead to muscle cramps and involuntary movement of the teeth and leg cramps and teeth grinding could be a symptom of magnesium deficiency.
Other causes which have been reported to cause teeth grinding are:
- Malocclusion: Abnormal alignment of upper and lower teeth
- Aggressive, competitive or hyperactive disorder (ADHD)
- Huntington’s or Parkinson’s disease.
- Teeth grinding can also be an uncommon side effect of some Psychiatric medications including antidepressants.
The symptoms of TMJ are many:
- Pain and discomfort
- Clocking of the jaw when attempting to open the mouth
- Inability to open the mouth comfortably
- Clicking, popping or grating sounds in the jaw joint
- Headaches
- An uncomfortable or “off ” bite
- Neck, shoulder and back pain
- Swelling on the side of the face
All these symptoms and causes cross over several Medical Disciplines and it’s not easy to get a true diagnose and treatment.
Some effective approaches are:
- Hypnosis/Hypnotherapy (Imagery, Relaxation Techniques and Self-hypnosis)
- A mouth guard that corrects alignment and prevents teeth grinding
- Medication
- Yoga and Meditation
- Botulinum toxin (Botox) injections may help some people with severe bruxism that have not responded to other treatments.
At Solutions 2 Life, Inc. through the use of Hypnosis and Relaxation Techniques we offer you a drug-free healing process. So just call and make your appointment at (323)839-0325 for your 1 hour Free Consultation .
Maria Olga Paiz, C.Ht.
Solutions 2 Life, Inc.
A Health, Wellness, Behavioral Transformation & Alternative Medicine Clinic
291 S. La Cienega Blvd., #106
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
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