The Dental Blog

Tooth Clenching and Grinding: A Frequent Source of Head, Neck and Facial Pain

If your bite is not in harmony with your jaw joints, you may unconsciously clench and grind your teeth, in a unconscious effort to wear down or break off the points of the teeth that are in the way. Clenching and grinding your teeth can create two very negative results. It can:

1. Break, loosen or wear down your teeth, make your teeth sensitive and even cause gum recession and bone loss.
2. Cause muscle pain in the head, neck and face that you may think is due to stress oreven been misdiagnosed as migraine, sinus or tension headaches or neck aches in the past.

Most people who clench or grind their teeth, even people who cause severe damage to their teeth or have head, neck or facial pain, don’t even realize they are doing it. For that reason our routine procedure includes an examination to discover any pain or dental problems that may be due to tooth clenching or grinding. If we detect any symptoms, we offer a complete screening which may include:Dental history and examination for dental symptoms

Based on the findings, we will can then offer you treatment options to eliminate the conflict between your teeth and jaw joints that may include:

1. Equilibriation
2. Bite splint treatment
3. Orthodontic Treatment

Read Dr. Simon’s scientific article on the Biomechanical Causes of Dental Disease