Is teeth grinding dangerous?

Although teeth grinding is not too dangerous and requires immediate treatment like some other acute oral diseases, in the long term the disease can affect the quality of life and cause some complications.

Teeth grinding can lead to tooth wear and cracking - Photo: BSCC

Doctor Bui Thi Thu Hien, Department of Dentistry, 108 Central Military Hospital, said that teeth grinding causes many effects on quality of life, especially oral health problems such as tooth wear and facial pain.

In addition, the sound of teeth grinding while sleeping can cause a lot of discomfort to people around. Proper assessment and diagnosis is the best way to provide appropriate treatment.

According to doctors, teeth grinding can occur while sleeping or awake, causing negative effects on the oral and facial areas and the patient's psychology.

According to studies around the world , teeth grinding during sleep occurs in the community at a rate of 12.8 ± 3.1% in adults, while the rate of teeth grinding while awake is from 22.1 - 31%.

Teeth grinding can occur in both children and adults, and is increasingly common in the community and younger people.

Teeth grinding is caused by a combination of many different factors, including local factors such as bite disorders (when teeth grow, improperly fitting crowns, etc.), psychological factors (anxiety, stress, etc.) and neurological factors, which are closely related to stress and sleep disorders - considered the main causes of teeth grinding.

The harmful effects of teeth grinding

Although teeth grinding is not too dangerous and requires immediate treatment like some other acute oral diseases, in the long term, the disease can affect the quality of life, causing some complications such as cracked teeth, tooth wear causing pain, broken dental restorations (fillings, crowns).

In addition, it can cause bone loss around the implant, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (inability to open the mouth, crooked mouth opening, temporomandibular joint pain when chewing), facial muscle pain (jaw fatigue, headache)...

In addition, patients may also experience tinnitus, dizziness, and psychological symptoms such as anxiety, stress, and insomnia. The sound of teeth grinding while sleeping can cause a lot of discomfort for people around.

Therefore, it is necessary to consider and diagnose teeth grinding before performing any dental intervention.

Teeth grinding causes many effects on quality of life, especially oral health problems - Illustration photo

How to treat teeth grinding?

Dr. Hien said that the goal of treating teeth grinding is to reduce pain, reduce the impact on teeth, restore the temporomandibular joint, and limit continued teeth grinding. Treatment requires the coordination of many specialists in the field of dentistry and related fields.

- Treatment to control psychological factors and neurological diseases : Teeth grinding due to psychological factors and neurological diseases requires applying methods to help reduce stress such as changing the environment (listening to relaxing music, taking a warm bath before going to bed).

Regularly do light exercise, meditate, treat sleep disorders, massage facial muscles, avoid using stimulants, especially in the evening before going to bed.

In addition, doctors can prescribe medication to treat teeth grinding to reduce excessive chewing muscle contractions caused by teeth grinding (muscle relaxants, pain relievers), control stress or psychological problems (antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs).

- Dental intervention : Dental treatment intervention helps protect teeth from the harmful effects of teeth grinding and treat the consequences caused by teeth grinding.

Common dental interventions in the treatment of teeth grinding are: Using anti-grinding splints to protect the tooth surface from wear and tear, relaxing the chewing muscles; Correcting the bite to reduce excessive impact on the chewing muscles as well as the teeth; Restoring the shape of the teeth, re-establishing the bite if the teeth are worn a lot, the teeth are sensitive.

"Although teeth grinding is not life-threatening, it is persistent and can cause serious harm to the teeth and the patient's psychology. Self-detection of symptoms and proper diagnosis and treatment by specialists are necessary to avoid unfortunate consequences caused by teeth grinding," Dr. Hien emphasized.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tat-nghien-rang-co-nguy-hiem-2025033116055262.htm