The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Grind your teeth? Night guard may not be right fix

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Dentists have reported an increase in patients with tooth fractures since the start of the pandemic, which they attribute to bruxism, the technical term for gritting, grinding or clenching your teeth. Thought to be precipitat­ed or exacerbate­d by stress and anxiety, bruxism is largely subconscio­us and often occurs during sleep. Most people don’t know they grind their teeth unless a dentist tells them so, based on tooth wear. Less obvious indicators include itchy or plugged ears, neck pain and even premature aging of the face.

Expensive acrylic or rubber mouth or bite guards — often called night guards — are typically prescribed as a prophylact­ic.

Though night guards may help to prevent some dental wear and tear, some studies suggest they can be ineffectiv­e or even make the problem worse. This has led some experts in the fields of dentistry, neuroscien­ce, psychology and orthopedic­s to say there needs to be a paradigm shift in our understand­ing of the causes and treatment of bruxism. They say it is a behavior, like yawning, belching or sneezing, rather than a disorder.

“It’s not abnormal to brux,” said Frank Lobbezoo, a bruxism researcher and professor and chair of the Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam in the Netherland­s. “In fact, it can be good for you.”

Sleep studies indicate that the majority of people have

three or more bursts of activity in the jaw’s masseter muscle (your major chewing muscle) during the night. It also happens during non-REM sleep.

Moreover, the evidence suggests that this muscular activity can have the salubrious effect of opening up your airway to allow in more oxygen. Clenching and grinding also stimulates salivary glands to lubricate a dry mouth and neutralize gastric acid. As a result, experts say it can be dangerous to wear a night guard or splint if you have sleep apnea or severe gastrointe­stinal reflux disorder, or GERD.

So the question is not so much whether you brux, but why you might be bruxing more than is normal and possibly causing jaw or dental problems.

Perhaps a physical therapist

who can teach you how to relax your jaw and do abdominal breathing. And maybe a psychologi­st can help you modify behaviors that lead to an increase in bruxism, like eating too much before bed and drinking more than your share of wine and whiskey.

But simple awareness of the position of your mouth, tongue and teeth throughout the day may go a long way toward preventing tooth-grinding. Cheryl Cocca, a physical therapist at Good Shepherd Penn Partners in Lansdale, Pennsylvan­ia, recommends continuall­y checking to make sure you are breathing through your nose with your mouth closed, your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth, and your teeth apart.

 ?? JON HAN/NEW YORK TIMES ?? Some experts say tooth-grinding is a behavior rather than a disorder and that the dentist’s chair isn’t the best place to address it.
JON HAN/NEW YORK TIMES Some experts say tooth-grinding is a behavior rather than a disorder and that the dentist’s chair isn’t the best place to address it.

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