What is bruxism?
Usually at night the the teeth will grind back and forth. This will usually involve clenching of the jaw. It is a very common cause of sleep disorders.
Why is grinding your teeth bad?
Grinding your teeth will result in a wearing down of the teeth causing a decrease in vertical height of your top and bottom teeth. This causes significant jaw and cranial issues. It also greatly decreases the quality of sleep, leaving people never completely rested.
What causes bruxism?
Bruxism is a reaction to relax the temporalis muscle. This muscle spans most of the side of the head and important in chewing. While moving around upright the body is able to compensate for this spasm. Once you are lying down to sleep the body is not longer able to adapt. The only thing the body can do to relax this muscle is grind the teeth back and forth.
Why is bruxism so common?
It is sometimes a side effect with the use of orthodontics and/or a cranial issue.
What can chiropractic do?
We correct the cause of the temporalis spasm. We find out what is causing the spasm and correct it. Using a lot of specialized techniques we are able to relax this muscle. Once the muscle is relaxed the body no longer needs to grind the teeth.
