Considered by many doctors to be the disease of the century, stress is almost ubiquitous in our lives and can have devastating effects on several organs. Stress and anxiety can upset the body’s balance and can have the following effects on the oral cavity:
Bruxism– the most common type of bruxism is nocturnal bruxism, present in about 80% of diagnosed cases. This bruxism is involuntary and occurs during sleep, with the patient being unaware of these movements and often going unnoticed.
Signs that may attract attention are headaches and jaw pain on waking in the morning. The second type of bruxism is daytime bruxism, present in the remaining 20% of cases. This type of bruxism is related to daily activities and is a voluntary act produced by the patient when concentrating on an activity or when under stress. This type of bruxism is easier to detect but difficult to control.
Muscle pain– in times of overwork, increased concentration or sustained activity, patients may clench their teeth more, overstraining the masseter muscles.
Movements that can overload the structures of the dento-maxillary apparatus can also occur when patients clench their teeth forcefully, without producing the characteristic grinding, grinding or grinding movement characteristic of bruxism. At those times, it is the muscles that suffer the most.
Although it is not considered a dangerous disorder, the jaw muscles can nevertheless suffer for long periods of time, the diagnosis is difficult to establish and treatment is sometimes instituted quite late with consequences on daily activities. Tissues and teeth may change in appearance and position. It can also cause headaches, earaches or irreparable damage to teeth.
Stress is the main factor triggering bruxism. To treat this condition, the first step is to try to reduce the stressful moments of the day and learn relaxation techniques. Relaxing the face and jaw muscles during the day can reduce discomfort during the night and prevent bruxism.
If the patient is diagnosed with bruxism, they should consult a dentist who, by inspecting the teeth and muscles for hypertrophy and confirmed by palpation, can identify which muscles are affected and the best treatment.
Selective tooth grinding can be used to restore occlusal harmony, gauging to prevent the teeth from touching too tightly and to help relax the muscles, as well as physiotherapy exercises for the muscles. Drug treatment can be of real help in such cases, so it is usually started as soon as the condition is detected.
However, bruxism is not only a consequence of stress, there are other possible causes of bruxism, including sleep disorders, poor occlusion, tooth position abnormalities or various pathologies of the oral structures.
