Bruxism During Sleep
Many people clench and grind their teeth at night without knowing it, referred to as bruxism. Some people do not have any symptoms at all and some have symptoms including pain from TMJ, muscle soreness, headaches, and tooth sensitivity. There has been some correlation between bruxism and sleep apnea; however, grinding and clenching your teeth does not necessarily mean you have sleep apnea. At Alabama Dental Sleep and Wellness, we will perform a comprehensive exam, including a sleep screening questionnaire, dental/TMJ examination, and a review of your medical history. Depending on those results, we may or may not recommend a sleep study. Treatment involving splints for bruxism without sleep apnea is different than treatment for sleep apnea. Treatment may or may not involve splint therapy, and can sometimes involve a combination of therapy, including a splint, Botox, and red light therapy depending on your signs and symptoms. If a splint for bruxism is recommended, we will determine the type and function of the splint needed based off findings. It’s important to have the proper splint for bruxism to protect your TMJ.
If patients are symptomatic and experiencing muscle pain, jaw soreness and headaches, we will recommend a combination of treatment. Red light therapy is a great addition for jaw pain to help eliminate and reduce the inflammation of the muscles involved with clenching and grinding your teeth. Red light therapy stimulates the mitochondria in the cell, producing more cell energy, delivering oxygen to the tissue, and eliminating inflammation.
We also utilize Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin to help prevent the muscles from contracting. At times, the muscles involved with clenching and grinding of the teeth can cause muscle spasms, severe pain or chronic pain and the use of these products can help eliminate that pain. These injections are also used to help with migraines associated with bruxism and can also be used to smooth wrinkles on the face.
At Alabama Dental Sleep and Wellness, your treatment plan is tailored to you. Treatment may be a single therapy or a combination of therapy.
