grinding (bruxism) & clenching
Bruxism is a condition in which you grind, gnash or clench your teeth. Bruxers may unconsciously clench your teeth when you're awake (awake bruxism) or clench or grind them during sleep (sleep bruxism). People who clench or grind their teeth (brux) during sleep are more likely to have other sleep disorders, such as snoring and pauses in breathing (sleep apnea). Because you may have sleep bruxism and be unaware of it until complications develop, it's important to know the signs and symptoms of bruxism and to seek regular dental care. Mild bruxism may not require treatment, however, in some people bruxism can be frequent and severe enough to lead to jaw disorders, headaches, damaged teeth and other problems.
Signs and symptoms of bruxism may include:
Teeth grinding or clenching, which may be loud enough to wake up your sleep partner
Teeth that are flattened, fractured, chipped or loose
Worn tooth enamel, exposing deeper layers of your tooth
Increased tooth pain or sensitivity
Tired or tight jaw muscles, or a locked jaw that won't open or close completely
Jaw, neck or face pain or soreness
Pain that feels like an earache, though it's actually not a problem with your ear
Dull headache starting in the temples
Damage from chewing on the inside of your cheek
Sleep disruption
How do you know if you are a clencher or a grinder? Fortunately it’s easy to distinguish between the two if you know what to look for, but he symptoms experienced with both clenching and grinding may be the same.
grinding (bruxism)
Matching Wear Facets
When the facets of the teeth in opposing arches match one another in excursive movements (side to side grinding) this is concrete evidence that you may lean more toward a bruxer than an clencher.
In severe cases, the teeth can be worn to the underlying dentin, resulting in an increased risk of dental caries and dentin hypersensitivity. It is best to identify pathological attrition at an early stage to prevent unnecessary loss of tooth structure as enamel does not regenerate.
Abfraction Lesions
Abfractions resonate at or near the neck of the teeth and clinical present at “V” shaped notches at the gum line. Commonly associated with over brushing or brushing with a hard bristle brush, these lesions actually occur as result of the teeth flexing during function and parafunction.
Teeth have a fulcrum point like the center of a see-saw. This fulcrum point is under a constant state of tension and compression and as the enamel here begins to fatigue it becomes brittle and fragile. Brushing the teeth loosens the enamel acting as a catalyst for the progression of abrfractions.
vs.
clenching
Craze Lines
Much like stress fractures in glass and porcelain, tooth stress fractures, called craze lines, can occur in the enamel layer. Craze lines occur naturally because of fatigue in the enamel, but under extreme forces such as parafunctional forces, teeth will exhibit an extraordinary number of craze lines.
These stress fractures will not necessarily transpire to a full fracture but become more susceptible.
Mild to No Wear Facets
Since clenching is a static parafunctional habit there is no component of attrition. There is minimal grinding that occurs so there is minimal wear present.