Causes of Bruxism
Teeth grinding (bruxism) and clenching is a very common problem that affects most people at one point or another. There are many causes of bruxism, with the most common cause believed to be stress.
Bruxism often occurs in sleep exacerbated by sleep-related conditions such as snoring, sleep paralysis, night terrors, sleep apnea etc. However, wake bruxism can occur from medication use (high caffeine), anxiety and, depression.
One of the most common questions I am faced with in the dental surgery is “Which is better? Electric or manual toothbrushes?” And so the answer to that often is a little like… “well it depends”.
The main 3 things that dentists look for in a toothbrush is 1/ a long handle for better reach ability, 2/ soft bristles to minimise any unnecessary excess trauma to the gums and 3/ a small tooth brush head to get into all those ‘hard to reach areas’.
Can a manual tooth brush tick all the above boxes? Yes! But I have yet to find one that is readily available at the supermarket (please prove me wrong colgate, oral-B)
Will an electric tooth brush tick all the above boxes? Yes! And adding to the 3 principles, a 4th. That is, the spinning action of the tooth electric tooth brush will further minimise any trauma to the gingival tissue (gums) had you used a course manual tooth brush in a backwards-and-forwards scrubbing motion.
On behalf on Underwood Dental Care, we wanted to wish Lisa safe travels as she heads to China on a student exchange program in hope to learn Chinese. Lisa has been with us since we were established in 2009. Thanks Lisa! Stay safe!
