Causes of Teeth Grinding During the Day
Doctors still don’t completely understand what causes awake bruxism, also known as daytime bruxism. However, it may be due to a combination of physical, genetic, psychosocial, and psychological factors.
Daytime bruxism may be due to the following reasons:
- Psychosocial factors — Emotions leading to anxiety, stress, anger, frustration, or tension can cause daytime bruxism.
- Age. Bruxism is common in young children, but it usually calms by adulthood.
- Personality type — People who are aggressive, hyperactive, or competitive are more likely to experience bruxism.
- Medications and other substances — Daytime bruxism can be an uncommon side effect of some medicines or substances. These can include certain antidepressants, ADHD medications, tobacco, alcohol, caffeinated drinks, and recreational drugs.
- Genetics — Bruxism tends to occur in families, although this is usually sleeping bruxism. If you suffer from bruxism, your family members may also experience it or have a history of it.
- Coping mechanism — Daytime bruxism may be used as a coping mechanism, or may be a subconscious habit during deep concentration.
- Other disorders — Bruxism links to some mental health and medical illnesses. These include Parkinson’s disease, dementia, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), epilepsy, attention-deficit (ADHD), or sleep disorders like sleep apnea, parasomnias, night terrors, and wakefulness.
Causes of Nighttime Grinding
Nighttime grinding is sometimes related to hyperactivity, sleep apnea or acid reflux and can appear as a side effect of certain medications intended to treat depression. Individuals who clench or grind their teeth while sleeping are more likely to have additional sleep disorders.
If you snore or suffer from a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea, you’re more likely to grind your teeth while you sleep. Sleep apnea interrupts your breathing while you sleep causing you to stop breathing all together. Individuals are more likely to grind their teeth if they:
- Talk in their sleep
- Behave violently while sleeping, such as kicking or punching
- Suffer from sleep paralysis
- Have hallucinations
Another thing that can increase the risk of teeth grinding is using substances such as tobacco, caffeine, alcohol, and illicit drugs. If you suspect you suffer from teeth grinding or clending at night, keep track of symptoms and talk to your dental practitioner at your next appointment about getting a referral to a TMJ specialist.
While there is no cure for bruxism, a TMJ specialist such as Dr. Pine will be able to help ease your pain by helping reduce the nighttime clenching and grinding by fitting you with a custom mouth piece called Emryl Guard. Emryl Guard inhibits your front and back teeth from touching, essentially eliminating bruxism all together. Call today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Pine in Orange, California.