(By Dr. Joseph D. Lim and Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI)
BRUXISM is more common than you think.
Bruxism is just a fancy word that dentists – and medical doctors – call the clenching and grinding that we do, day in and day out.
It’s more than a fancy word, though. And that’s because grinding and clenching ultimately affects our teeth, the way we chew and eat food and, stretching the issue further, our nutrition ultimately.
So yes, bruxism is a significant oral health issue. And it is more prevalent than most people think. It even happens during the day, not just at night. You may have noticed when, in the light of day, you clench and grind while under stress, perhaps in the thick of a traffic jam.
And who has not clenched and ground their teeth when annoyed at, say, the rising prices of gasoline and diesel?
Prosthodontists know this when they see muscles used for chewing that are enlarged.
For the ordinary person, a simple technique will indicate bruxism. Hold your palms to the sides of the cheeks, clench your jaw and ground your teeth. When the palms are pushed out, you’ve been grinding and clenching without you knowing about it all along.
Bruxism illustrates too how, two years on, the pandemic continues to affect our health in more ways than one.
Like a broken tooth, most often dismissed as a minor issue which certainly it is not. A broken tooth, however way you look at it, is a broken tooth. And it impacts on the way we eat.
A broken tooth may be caused by constant clenching and grinding. And stress during the pandemic may have led to more clenching and grinding.
Indeed, early in the pandemic, dentists in America have observed that more of their patients complain of bruxism. Certainly, two years of clenching and grinding are too much pressure on delicate teeth.
That has likely led to a broken tooth or teeth, according to Dr. Gabriela Lagreca, a prosthodontist, a dentist who specializes in the treatment of dental and facial problems that involve restoring missing tooth and jaw structures.
“We are seeing the consequences of 2020,” says Dr. Lagreca, an Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and President of the American College of Prosthodontics’ Massachusetts section. Tufts is a prestigious private research university in Massachusetts.
According to a 2021 survey made by the American Dental Association, there was a 63 percent increase in patients with chipped or cracked teeth when compared to the number of cases before the pandemic.
Even Dr. Lagreca who has been prescribing mouth guards for many patients is now prescribing the mouth guards to many more. She sees at least three broken-tooth emergencies in a week.
The mouth guard does not stop the clenching and grinding but rather spreads the mechanical stress more evenly over the whole jaw. That may help.
A dental crown that covers the tooth may also help protect it and prevent it entirely from breaking down.
Consult your regular dentist first if a prosthodontist is needed for clenching and grinding issues. It’s not as simple as you think: a mouth guard, for example, needs a good fit and a prosthodontist can do it properly.
Ultimately, Dr. Lagreca says, the best way to prevent bruxism is not to stress.
Cool it. And chill out.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim, Ed. D., is the former Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, University of the East; former Dean, College of Dentistry, National University; Past President and Honorary Fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists; Honorary Life Member of the Thai Association of Dental Implantology; and Founding Chairman of the Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515.
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Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI, graduated Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of the Philippines, College of Dentistry, Manila, 2011; Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management, De la Salle University, Manila, 2002; and Master of Science (MSc.) in Oral Implantology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, 2019. He is an Associate Professor; Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists; Member, American Academy of Implant Dentistry and Fellow, Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail limdentalcenter@gmail.com./PN
