What is bruxism?
Bruxism is a condition, a muscular behavior that is mostly harmless, characterized by the fact that the people who are afflicted by it (men, women, children), unconsciously, grind and/or clench their teeth repetitively, and this it can occur both at night and during the day, thus distinguishing itself into sleep bruxism and waking bruxism.
Sleep bruxism manifests itself during night rest with clenching and/or grinding of the teeth, often reported by the partner or detected by the patient himself as soreness of the facial muscles upon awakening.
Waking bruxism is characterized, however, by pressure in a fixed position of the jaw: the clenching is not significant, but the teeth remain in contact more than necessary with a slight push.
The persistence of this condition can lead to wear and damage of the teeth, soreness of the facial muscles and overload of the tempero-mandibular joint (TMJ), limiting the opening of the mouth and compromising the production of joint noises.
What are the causes?
In most cases, stress, tension, worries are the major cause.
Other factors may be: smoking, alcohol, excessive caffeine intake, drugs, or even biological factors that can lead to greater activation of the central nervous system (CNS).
What can be done?
If indicated, a manual therapy approach (physiotherapeutic or osteopathic) can be used. If this is not sufficient, it is necessary to move towards a mechanical approach such as the bite.
The Osteopath in the office will perform a palpatory evaluation of the tissues and an active functional evaluation in which the degrees of both membranous and active mobility in the openings and lateral shifts will be looked for, and will evaluate the presence of trigger points (TPs) and/or of joint clicks or crackles attributable to TMJ malfunctions. The therapy will be characterized by inhibition and tissue correction techniques. The therapist may also conduct instrumental monitoring to guide and evaluate the therapeutic progress
Valentina Carlile - Osteopath expert in Osteopathy applied to voice and speech disorders since 2002. For information and reservations visit the page Contacts