Teeth grinding or bruxism is a problem that afflicts a large percentage of Americans. Aggravated by stress. Most people probably grind and clench their teeth from time to time. Occasional teeth grinding, medically called bruxism, does not usually cause harm, but when teeth grinding occurs on a regular basis the teeth can be damaged and other complications can arise. Those that only grind at night only know that they are doing it if they wake up with.

Bruxism and TMD can result in headaches, earaches, facial pain, chipped teeth and chewed tissue on the inside of the mouth. Chronic grinding will often lead to a hypertrophied masseter muscle - the main muscle that is used for chewing. In some cases, chronic teeth grinding can result in a fracturing, loosening, or loss of teeth. The chronic grinding may wear their teeth down to stumps.

Not only can severe grinding damage teeth and result in tooth loss, it can also affect your jaws, result in hearing loss, cause or worsen TMD/TMJ, and even change the appearance of your face.

Grinding builds this muscle and makes it stronger, like lifting weights does for the biceps. The stronger the muscle gets, the more damage clenching causes to the teeth. Headaches and facial pain also tend to get worse with time.

A risk factor is something that increases your chances of getting a disease or condition. Risk factors include:

• Chronic stress or anxiety
• Aggressive or competitive personality
• Abuse of drugs or alcohol-especially methamphetamines
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Age: 40 or younger; especially common in women aged 27-40
• Family member with bruxism
• Facial or oral trauma
• Use of psychiatric medications, especially antidepressants such as Zoloft, Paxil, and Prozac
• Prior serious head injury

Symptoms may include:

• Grinding sounds during sleep
• Teeth sensitive to heat, cold, or brushing
• Tense facial or jaw muscles
• Hairline crack of the enamel on some teeth
• Sore teeth
• Inflammation of the gums ( gingivitis )
• Headache especially if it is present when waking in the morning
• Damage to the inside of the cheek (from biting or chewing)
• Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD)

The doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history and examine your teeth and jaw. With bruxism, teeth will have flattened tips, excessive wear, or thin enamel.

Methods of treatment include:

This method focuses on changing behavior through various techniques, such as: . Biofeedback . Stress management Relaxation Therapy or exercise.

People, who suffer from severe Bruxism, find jaw disorders, constant headaches, damaged teeth, and a number of other facial problems, at a higher rate. Thus, going ahead for Botox Bruxism treatment makes perfect sense in this case. The Botox treatment for Bruxism is extremely painless and can be done in as less as fifteen minutes. The effects of Botox treatment start surfacing themselves only after a day or two and can last up to four months.

Bruxism treatment has proved to be a better technique that work wonders for a person who has been suffering from the problem of chronic teeth clenching and grinding.

Botox can be used to treat chronic teeth grinding. Not only patients will experience an instant relief from jaw pain, tension and headaches, but they will see a dramatic change in the way that their face looks. The square, severe appearance of their lower face softens into a more normal and esthetically pleasing jaw line.