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is often a subconscious reaction to stress and anxiety. You may even do it only when you sleep. Chronic teeth grinding sometimes requires reaching out to an orthodontist to realign your jaw. Luckily, the solution is sometimes as easy as wearing a customized mouthguard from the Corona dentists at Corona Dental Associates. Find out how much you know about the nightly grind with this true-or-false quiz.

Questions

Q1. True or false – The medical term for teeth grinding is bruxitis.

Q2. True or false – The majority of teeth grinding cases occur during your waking hours when you are in high stress situations such as traffic, deadlines, or arguments with a significant other.

Q3. True or false – Teeth grinding is irritating, but in most cases, bruxism poses no long term side effects.

Q4. True or false – Chewing gum causes teeth grinding.

Answers

A1. FALSE – Bruxism is the actual clinical term for clenching and grinding teeth together.

A2. FALSE – Bruxism usually occurs when someone is sleeping. It is thought to relate to stress, but is generally an unconscious phenomenon that happens at night.

A3. FALSE –Grinding your teeth together for extended periods of time is likely to cause noticeable damage to tooth enamel, and even dentin. Tooth enamel is the second strongest compound on earth, and the strongest substance in your body. The action of bruxism over hours at a time, every single night, will not only wear down the enamel, but may even wear the dentin (the bulk of your teeth) down to nubs. Other symptoms could include jaw pain and headaches as a result of the physical pressure of bruxism. This can transition into more serious jaw inflammation known as TMD (temporomandibular joint disorder).

A4. TRUE – In some cases, chewing gum excessively, contributes to teeth grinding rates. The same is true for extreme overeating. Anything that requires a chewing action for a large portion of the day can fatigue the complex muscles and joints in your jaw to a point where clenching or grinding provides temporary relief, but unfortunately long term damage as well.

Teeth Grinding Help from Corona Dentists

Are you concerned with teeth grinding? To schedule a consultation, call Dental Associates of Corona today at 951-273-9580.