Bruxism

I have bruxism. Bruxism is defined by the medical dictionary as the habitual involuntary grinding or clenching of the teeth, especially during sleep. It is caused by the activation of the reflex chewing activity controlled by the reflex nerve pathways and the brain. During sleep, the brain control is lost but the chewing activity is present which causes the teeth to grind against each other (wikipedia). Bruxism normally occurs The biting force which is the pressure exerted when the teeth clench is six times more during the nights. Bruxism is attributed a variety of causes which include misalignment of teeth, improper diet and most importantly high anxiety and stress. Common symptoms include sore facial muscles, damage to teeth, TMJ problems, toothache and painful sensitivity.
The symptoms started at around midnight on a monday when I started having uncontrollable pain in my incisors and molars. I attributed it to my inconsistent oral care and met my dentist the following day after making it through the night with Tylenol and Ibuprofen. He checked my teeth for any signs of nerve damage or decay, two potential causes for pain but did not find any. He then noticed that the upper surfaces of my incisors were ridged and my teeth showed signs of wear, and then things fell in place.
The reason why I am writing about this is because I want everyone to be aware of such a condition. All of us go through stress at some point of time, and issues like bruxism are added baggage. I was unfortunate to have been identified with it at a very later stage, as a) It happens when you sleep and b) nobody sleeps next to me to be disturbed by the grinding and let me know about it. Its in our hands to keep ourselves aware of conditions such as these. If you notice
symptoms like dull headaches, sore and tired facial muscles, earaches, sensitive teeth, and locking, popping, and clicking of the jaw and damage to tissues of the inner lips and cheek, and you have been leading a stress filled lifestyle, its probably a good time to talk to your dentist.

So whoever reads this, please make sure to pass it on to your friends and ask them to do the same. Just like prevention is better than cure, awareness is better than regret.