Many people grind their teeth every once-in-a-while with little to no damage or symptoms, like jaw pain. Teeth grinding can occur during sleep or when you are awake, in two forms — a loud grating contact or a silent clenching. The reason for teeth grinding is still unknown to this day, but contributing factors are thought to be things like stress, anxiety and even misaligned teeth.

Bruxism is chronic, extreme teeth grinding/clenching and both children and adults can suffer from it. Many people with bruxism, do not realize that they have it until it wakes up their partner in the middle of the night, or their roommate hears it from the next room, through two closed doors. (Yes, it really can be that loud.)

Bruxism can lead to serious dental issues, some of which can only be rectified by dental crowns, dental implants, root canals, dental bridges or even dentures. These issues include:

• tooth fractures
• wearing/flattening of teeth (even down to stumps)
• notching and/or increased decay at the gum line (caused from pressure/tooth flexion)
• loose teeth
• loss of teeth
• damage to jaw and extreme jaw pain

There are three main warning signs to look for:

1. chronic jaw pain
2. persistent headache
3. wear on tooth enamel (that you can see or feel)

The best solution to eliminate bruxism, is to visit our Las Vegas dental care office and have a custom-fit mouth guard created by Dr. Frank P. Bruno, DMD. The mouth guards are made up of a moldable thermoplastic that allows for a comfortable, natural fit. The guard has a unique central power bar where it acts as a support to reduce the clenching pressure, making it less comfortable to add pressure, reprogramming the muscles not to clench. Also, the guard creates a space between the posterior teeth, making it impossible for them to have contact.


Call our Las Vegas dental care office today if you think you have bruxism!