Can Bruxism Lead To Nerve Damage Or Other Permanent Health Issues?

If you’re experiencing nerve pain from grinding teeth, it’s important that you take steps to solve the problem. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to bruxism teeth damage and bruxism nerve pain. A custom night guard provides the protection required to stop bruxism nerve damage and give you the relief you deserve.

Bruxism is a well-known condition that affects a significant percentage of the population. It’s when a person grinds or clenches their teeth even when they’re not chewing. Bruxism can occur when people make a chewing motion that causes their upper and lower sets of teeth to rub against each other. Or, they may clench their jaw, which means that they clench the muscles and hold their teeth together without moving the teeth back and forth.

Symptoms & Causes

There are numerous symptoms associated with bruxism, including nerve pain from grinding teeth, headaches, difficulty sleeping, jaw pain, TMJ disorders, and chipped teeth.

While there’s a lot of study on sleep bruxism, it turns out that waking bruxism is more common, i.e., a majority of those experiencing bruxism do it during waking hours. However, it’s important to note that people don’t necessarily grind or clench their teeth consciously, even when they’re fully awake.

Experts are also exploring the different causes that lead to bruxism. So far, they’ve deduced that it can be caused by several different factors that may or may not be related. For instance, some people may experience nerve pain from grinding teeth due to stress or personality disorders. Others may have bruxism teeth damage due to jaw alignment problems or other dental concerns. Alternatively, some studies have also found that bruxism is largely genetic in some cases.

What’s important to focus on, though, are the effects of bruxism, including the short- and long-term damage it can cause. By understanding the health risks, you can not only prevent the damage through proactive measures like the use of night guards for teeth grinding, but you can also treat health issues due to bruxism before they become a more permanent problem.

Does Bruxism Lead to Nerve Damage?

The short answer is yes; bruxism can lead to nerve pain from grinding teeth. But it’s important to understand that the extent of bruxism nerve damage depends on the severity of your teeth grinding and how long you’ve been experiencing bruxism.

For many people, nerve damage is a very real possibility if they've been dealing with bruxism since a young age and if they grind their teeth during the day and at night. This is because the more you grind your teeth, the more damage you do to your enamel. The enamel is the thin protective layer protecting your teeth. While it's thin, enamel is incredibly resistant and can last your entire lifetime. However, some factors can cause enamel to wear off over time, including teeth grinding.

Besides the nerve pain from grinding teeth, bruxism can massively affect the enamel on your teeth and can make them wear off much faster. As a result, your teeth's inner parts, i.e., the dentin and nerves, get exposed because they no longer have their protective cover. Once exposed, the nerves become extremely sensitive to hot and cold temperatures and cause other problems, including bruxism teeth damage.

One thing you may experience due to nerve damage from bruxism is trigeminal neuralgia. This is a typical shock-like nerve pain from the trigeminal nerve, which is a nerve that comes from the brain stem. Usually, this nerve pain from grinding teeth needs a trigger, and it could be something as minimal as smiling or brushing your teeth. So, it’s safe to say that clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth can also trigger trigeminal neuralgia.

How To Know if You Have Bruxism Nerve Damage

Well, if you have trigeminal neuralgia, the shock-like pain you constantly experience will be an indication in itself. That being said, if you have a damaged nerve due to bruxism, there are other symptoms you can look out for besides bruxism nerve pain. Here are some common symptoms associated with nerve pain from grinding teeth:

• Consuming sweet, hot, or cold foods may be painful.
• Cold air entering your mouth will feel uncomfortable.
• There might be discomfort when flossing or brushing your teeth.
• Alcohol-based mouthwashes may be painful.
• Anything touching the exposed teeth and nerves will cause pain.

Generally, though, you’ll find it hard to identify a clear pattern in terms of the discomfort and pain you feel. There will likely be mild discomfort if the nerve isn’t too exposed, but you’ll definitely feel more intense and almost stabbing pain if the nerve is significantly exposed.

Is Nerve Damage From Bruxism Permanent?

The damage from bruxism may be serious, but bruxism teeth damage and nerve pain from grinding teeth don’t always have to be permanent. This is especially true in regard to bruxism nerve damage because a large part of the problem is the nerve being exposed, and usually, dentists can do procedures to reverse the damage to some extent.

For example, if there is very little nerve exposure, some filling will help take care of it since no cold or hot liquids or other stimulants can make their way to the nerves. On the other hand, if the nerve damage is permanent and severe, you will need a root canal during which the damaged and exposed nerve will be completely removed, and the tooth area will be sealed. This is definitely a helpful approach if you feel severe nerve pain from grinding teeth.

Other Permanent Health Issues Related to Bruxism

Besides bruxism nerve pain, there are several other health issues associated with clenching and grinding teeth. Some are permanent health concerns that cause a lot of discomfort and pain, but many are reversible once you have your teeth-grinding habits under control. Here are the ones that are most common and the ones you should look out for:

• Bruxism teeth damage: This is part of what leads to bruxism nerve damage. When you frequently grind and clench your teeth, there's major tooth enamel loss that weakens and damages your teeth overall, in addition to causing nerve pain from grinding teeth.
• Migraines: Teeth grinding can take a toll on your facial muscles, and that can trigger tension headaches and migraines. Moreover, sleep bruxism affects your sleep quality, contributing to migraines and their severity.
• Jaw Disorders: Jaw disorders like TMJ pain are among the most common side effects of bruxism. It can make it very hard to swallow, talk, or chew.
• Gum Recession: Bruxism may cause teeth to shift and become loose. This creates pockets in your gum line and encourages bacterial growth that causes the gum to recede.

Simple Solutions: What You Can Do

The best way to address nerve pain from grinding teeth and other health concerns caused by bruxism is to tackle the problem at its root, i.e., find ways to control your teeth grinding and clenching. Depending on the severity of your bruxism, it may take a while to get results, but you can mostly get things under control through some simple measures like:

• Jaw exercises and massages
• Dental corrections (if dental concerns are causing the teeth grinding)
• Better stress management
• Muscle relaxants
• Botox injections
• A change in sleeping habits (including what you eat/drink before bed, your sleeping position, and so on)

These are some ways you can get your teeth grinding under control. At the same time, to stop the nerve pain from grinding teeth in its tracks right away, you can invest in dental guards. These will not treat bruxism, but they will definitely help to stop bruxism teeth damage and bruxism nerve damage before they worsen.

Get the Relief You Deserve

Order your custom-made night guard today! Our ordering process is fast and easy. Simply take your dental impression at home, mail it back (shipping is free), and our professional dental technicians will create a night guard backed by our Perfect Fit Promise.

Bruxism nerve pain is unpleasant, but relief is right around the corner! Watch our video testimonials to get an idea of how Clear Comfort Night Guards can improve your quality of life. Contact us if you have any questions. Place your order today, and stop nerve pain from grinding teeth in its tracks!