When people grind their teeth after falling asleep, it is medically called "bruxism". Bruxism is more common in children, but it is also rare in adults and is gradually increasing. According to statistics, worldwide, 1 in 4 adults suffers from bruxism.
The British "Daily Mail" recently reported that Britain's top dental plastic surgery experts discovered that Blair suffered from severe nighttime bruxism. Taking into account Blair's increasingly barren and sparse forehead, experts have confidently concluded that Blair has been suffering from excessive mental stress for a long time...
Is there any harm in grinding teeth while sleeping?
No need to make a fuss about teeth grinding
Adult teeth grinding is not taken seriously. Someone once conducted a survey and found that among 40 patients with varying degrees of bruxism and 60 patients’ family members, 62.3% of people think that grinding teeth is nothing, so why make such a fuss.
However, experts believe that bruxism is closely related to psychological factors. Even if you fall asleep, excessive psychological pressure is still difficult to relieve.
Many scholars at home and abroad have conducted extensive research on the pathogenesis of bruxism. They believe that the pathogenesis of adult molar is more complex than that of children and adolescents. A hospital in the UK conducted a controlled study on 80 bruxism patients aged 16 to 45 and 80 people without bruxism, and conducted a personality test on them. The results show that introversion, depression, especially emotional instability and nervousness are important factors in the onset of bruxism.
Psychologist Goeber believes that bruxism represents a phenomenon caused by anger and hatred, or the inability to express lust. From a mental perspective, teeth grinding represents a psychological condition, especially when you are angry, anxious, resentful, pessimistic and abused. The subconscious psychological state of these people is one of frustration and dissatisfaction. Teeth grinding occurs in dreams or sleep when people are trying to escape subconscious psychological pressure.
Pay attention to rest and adjust your mentality
Oral physiology and psychology believe that the oral cavity is the first source of excitement in the human body and a channel for communication with the outside world, and the oral cavity has the ability to express tension, pessimism, etc. Emotional functions. Today's people's pace of life is accelerating and competition is becoming more and more fierce. Everyone is trying to dispel all kinds of stress in life or work. One of the effective methods is physical exercise and mental transfer, and some people show it as grinding their teeth.
Occasional grinding of teeth has little impact on health, but long-term grinding of teeth, or grinding teeth for too long after falling asleep, can lead to psychological and physical disorders. Because when you grind your teeth at night, there is no food in the mouth, the secretion of saliva is also reduced accordingly, and the teeth are not lubricated, thus forming "dry teeth grinding" like grinding. "Dry teeth grinding" is very serious wear and tear on teeth. Over time, worn teeth will become sore or painful to varying degrees, and sometimes mandibular joint disorders will develop. Therefore, adults with bruxism should actively seek medical treatment and not treat it carelessly.
After ruling out teeth grinding caused by physical diseases, attention should be paid to consider whether there is a psychological disorder. If there is a psychological disorder, you should make self-adjustments or seek treatment from a psychologist.
Four major causes of bruxism
There are many reasons for teeth grinding, such as the following are common causes:
1. Emotional stress. This is the most common cause of bruxism. If fear, anger, hostility, resistance and other tense emotions are difficult for patients to express in time due to various reasons, these emotions are periodically expressed in various ways in the subconscious, and teeth grinding is one of the ways of expression.
2. Local factors. It is speculated that patients often try to grind down the high points on the tooth surface. If this phenomenon occurs frequently, over time, bruxism will develop.
3. Systemic factors. Gastrointestinal disorders related to parasites, nutritional deficiencies in children, allergies or endocrine disorders may be factors in the pathogenesis of bruxism.
4. Occupation. Certain types of occupations are conducive to the occurrence of bruxism. Occupations that require high precision or high concentration, such as watchmakers, car drivers, and athletes, are prone to bruxism.