Stump
grinding teeth is an instance of intense and chronic
Bruxism where the teeth grinding motions are so severe
as to wear down teeth to its stumps.
Teeth
grinding symptoms
Teeth
grinding is a typical symptom of the oral condition of
Bruxism. The extent of teeth grinding and (or) teeth
clenching can vary widely from person to person,
depending on the nature of Bruxism and its causal
factors. While a lot of teeth grinding is a mild habit
and passes off after a temporary phase, Bruxism can also
be a long lasting condition and in most such
circumstances, the teeth grinding actions can cause a
lot of damage to teeth as well as go on to cause other
health complications.
Causes of
stump teeth grinding
The causes
of the kind of teeth grinding that wears down teeth to
its stumps can be difficult to pin point and usually
requires an examination by a specialist to identify the
root cause or causes. In most cases, the causes can be
more than one. Teeth grinding has been found to be
multifactorial in nature. Some of the more common causes
of teeth grinding are –
- Mal
alignment of teeth
- Stress
and anxiety related factors
- Side
effects of medications (especially some anti
depressants)
- Jaw
joint or upper spinal cord
dysfunctions
- Neuromuscular
disorders
- Abdominal
disorders
The wide
variance in the causal factors of teeth grinding makes
it extremely difficult to zoom in on the real trigger of
the teeth grinding condition. Additionally, most teeth
grinding motions take place during the sleep times at
night (although teeth grinding can coexist as a day time
habit as well). This aspect of teeth grinding makes it
difficult for many to realize the existence of the
potentially damaging condition. Many have lived through
teeth grinding for years (without being aware of its
existence) resulting in severe damage to teeth.
The most
common of such cases of teeth grinding that becomes
chronic are intense wear and tear of teeth wherein the
teeth actually fall off or are eroded completely down to
the stumps.
Chronic
cases of teeth grinding are best tackled at the early
stages with holistic methods of healing the habit and
the root causes of the problem. There are effective
methods of verifying the existence of teeth grinding and
the mere suspicion of the condition should be enough to
undertake an examination and prompt
treatment.
