There are many reasons why people might not consider their bruxism a problem at first. For example, grinding your teeth together isn’t exactly an unnatural thing, and most people do it occasionally. Also, the consistent grinding of your teeth that’s associated with bruxism may not cause significant problems with your tooth structure at first. However, if left untreated long enough, bruxism can become a threat in many different ways, leading to increased tooth sensitivity as well as various types of tooth damage and bite dysfunction.
Wearing down your teeth’s chewing surfaces
The biggest problem with bruxism is that you can’t control the severity of the pressure and friction when you’re grinding your teeth subconsciously. Your jaw’s joints and muscles can generate an immense amount of force, and when there’s nothing between them (like food), your teeth are forced to take all of this pressure on themselves. This can lead to their chewing surfaces wearing down significantly, which can make your teeth weaker and change the overall balance of your bite. Before long, excessive tooth wear can be accompanied by cracks and/or breaks in the structures of one or more of your teeth.
Developing cracks or chips in your teeth
When a tooth chips or cracks and you aren’t sure how it happened, it might only seem like a problem if it’s a substantial amount of tooth damage. If it occurs because of bruxism, it may not be a large crack or chip at first. However, under the continued pressure of your teeth-grinding habit, the damage can grow increasingly worse a lot faster than usual. Seeking treatment for your damaged tooth or teeth as soon as possible can give your dentist the chance to detect other signs of bruxism and address the condition before your teeth suffer more damage.
Putting excessive strain on your jaw joins
Your teeth structures can suffer significant wear and damage because of your bruxism habit, but the totality of the threat to your oral health doesn’t stop there. When uncontrolled, your teeth-grinding habit involves most or all of your bite’s pressure, which takes a lot of work from your jaw’s joints (TMJs) and the muscles surrounding them. This level of continued stress and strain can damage these joints and muscles, leading to the development of TMJ disorder and a wide range of related symptoms. TMJ disorder can also make your bruxism problem worse, exacerbating its many other symptoms, as well.
Learn how to avoid problems due to bruxism
If it’s left untreated long enough, bruxism can lead to a wide range of significant problems for your teeth and oral health. To learn more, schedule a consultation by calling the Dental Centre of Conroe in Conroe, TX, today at (936) 441-4600. We serve patients from Conroe and all neighboring communities.
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