Teeth chattering in your child's or spouse's sleep? Do you hear loud, unpleasant and sometimes frightening sounds every night? In medicine, this phenomenon is known as bruxism. Why do teeth chatter in a dream, should it be treated and what could be the consequences?
How does the grinding happen?
Bruxism (teeth grinding at night) is a symptom that characterizes serious illnesses.
Bruxism usually occurs at night due to contraction of the masticatory muscles. It is normal for teeth to touch each other while eating, by friction. The jaws can touch in a relaxed state, but friction does not occur. During bruxism, the jaw muscles are so tense that the teeth are pressed tightly against each other. At the same time, the jaw is strongly compressed and begins to move.
What to do if your loved one chatters his teeth in his sleep? Adults and children are susceptible to this symptom. Pathology with age can go away. Almost one in five suffers from bruxism.
A man chatters his teeth in a dream: reasons
Beforethe end is not studied all the possible causes of the appearance of a loud grinding and chattering of teeth at night. Why does a person chatter his teeth in a dream? The common cause is the impact of negative factors. Experts identify several theories:
1. Psychological theory. This is a reflection of stress, dissatisfaction and troubles of a person in life. That is why it is often said that bruxism is a disease of businessmen and public people.
It is these categories of people that are subject to overstrain, stress and emotional overload. However, bruxism occurs in those who are emotionally normal.
2. neurogenic theory. Pathological changes in the functioning of the central and peripheral nervous systems manifest themselves as a movement disorder. Teeth chattering is often accompanied by sleep twitches.
Possible other accompanying symptoms: tremor, incontinence, epilepsy. Rarely, bruxism can be the result of damage to the trigeminal nerve.
3. osteopathic theory. Adherents of this theory believe that teeth grinding is an attempt by the neuromuscular system to “remove” the block that the cranial sutures have established. The goal is to restore the rhythm of the heartbeat and breathing.
4. Theory: "teeth-jaws". Dentists are of the general opinion that bruxism is a consequence of pathological changes in the work of the teeth-jaw system.
Perhaps the root of evilburied in a misaligned bite, improperly fitting braces, or improper treatment of dental disease.
5. Theory of diseases. Many are of the opinion that bruxism is a consequence of helminth infection, nasal breathing disorders, malnutrition and gastroesophageal reflux. However, none of these judgments has been confirmed by a number of studies.
Teeth grinding is common in patients with Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea and Tourette's syndrome.
Feature of gnashing in children
Usually a child chatters his teeth in his sleep at night, but the problem can also appear during daytime sleep. The attack lasts no more than 10 seconds.
Daytime bruxism is most common in emotional and active babies. Moreover, the characteristic creak that appears is more of a habit than a pathology.
In this case, you need to consult a specialist. A child psychologist can help, who can direct the child to control their actions. You can not scold for grinding your teeth! There are a number of special exercises that can help your child deal with bruxism.
Bruxism at night usually occurs involuntarily and cannot be controlled. During an attack, there is an increase in blood pressure, the pulse increases and the child begins to breathe more often.
Causes of gnashing in children
A child knocks his teeth in a dream: the famous Dr. Komarovsky highlights the following reasons:
- Children's psyche is peculiar. They handle emotional stress in their own way.stress. Even a little nervous stress affects the child's body. Bruxism in children is a reflection of a certain failure of the nervous system.
- When eruption of milk teeth or their change to molars. Usually this phenomenon is accompanied by discomfort and gnashing. In a dream, a child tries to scratch his teeth, so he creaks with them. When teeth erupt, it's daytime bruxism.
- Misaligned bite.
- Disease of the jaw joints.
- Hereditary factor plays a role: if one of the parents suffered from bruxism, then the risk of the child increases markedly.
- If your baby has nightmares, sleepwalking or other sleep disturbances (this applies to children who snore and talk in their sleep).
- Rhinitis, otitis, adenoids - nasal breathing disorders that cause teeth grinding.
- With a lack of trace elements that affect muscle contraction and the functioning of the central nervous system.
- When mashed, soft food is abused, the child at the reflex level clenches his jaw in his sleep.
The older generation assures that gnashing of teeth is a phenomenon that marks the presence of worms. However, experts say that there is no connection between helminths and teeth grinding at night. Gritting of teeth can also occur in he althy children, and in those who suffer from helminthiasis. Grinding of teeth in the latter is aggravated.
Symptoms
Teeth chattering in sleep - an attack lasts about 10 seconds. Most often, relatives pay attention to the problem. The attack is accompanied by jumps in blood pressure and a change in the rhythm of breathing.
After waking up, a person notes a number of typical symptoms that lead him to a doctor:
- facial muscle pain (facial miaglia);
- jaw muscle pain;
- toothache;
- headache;
- dizziness;
- drowsy.
Usually, the dentist reveals such pathological changes: wear of the edges of the teeth, increased sensitivity of the teeth (hyperesthesia).
Enamel defects become noticeable, periodontitis (inflammation in the tissues near the tooth), looseness of the teeth (leads to their loss).
Is this normal?
Teeth chattering in a dream - is this the norm? There is a reason why teeth grinding is a physiological norm. For example, when frightened or hypothermic, a person can chatter his teeth even at night, not only during the day.
Knocking for these reasons is the protection of the body from negative external influences. The intensity of muscle movements generates heat. This improves blood flow, adrenaline is produced and enters the bloodstream.
If teeth grinding is not a dental cause, then a neurologist will help to find out the impact factor. He will refer the patient for an encephalogram.
Treatment methods
The variety of causes of bruxism makes it difficult to treat nighttime teeth chattering.
Baby does not need treatment for bruxism as the condition usually resolves by age 6.
If we are talking about an adult, then you need to use a complextreatment: medication, psychotherapy, physiotherapy, dental treatment.
If the cause of teeth grinding lies in a psychological factor, then you need to seek help from a qualified psychologist. He will begin to work with you through cognitive behavioral therapy. Trainings, therapeutic classes, techniques for personal relaxation - what you need.
Drug treatment includes the use of drugs that have a depressing effect on muscle motility. Mostly these are sedatives and hypnotics. Vitamin therapy is also administered. In particular, prescribe B vitamins and drugs containing magnesium and calcium. In severe advanced cases - injection of botulinum toxin.
Your doctor may prescribe manual therapy, massage, and applying bandages to warm the jaw.
Dental therapy includes correction of the bite, selection of the correct braces. Possibly grinding teeth. The dentist may prescribe a protective mouthguard made of rubber material. The patient should put it on at night on the teeth to prevent mechanical damage.
Consequences
Teeth chattering in a dream is a negative phenomenon that wakes up not only loved ones at night, but also harms the person himself. With constant pressure, teeth suffer. They become shaky and fall out gradually, the enamel is erased and there are constant painful sensations.
Bruxism negatively affects orthopedic wearers. Teeth experience double pressure from the structure itself and frompressure. In addition, the grinding causes rapid wear of the structure.
Bruxism can lead to stress, depression and fatigue.
