It’s A Real Grind

It’s A Real Grind

4th April 2022

Dentists say pandemic stress and working from home is leaving Brits with chipped teeth and jaw pain, reports

Bruxism – extreme teeth grinding and jaw clenching – affects about six million of us in the UK and can cause everything from chipped, cracked teeth and increased dental sensitivity to acute jaw pain and tension headaches.

And dentists are seeing more patients than ever with these teethtorturing problems, all because of the pandemic and the anxieties and tensions it has brought.

“The past few months have been a challenging, stressful time for us all and I’m in no doubt that this is playing out in patients’ mouths,” says dentist Dr Ahmed Hussain (harrowonthehilldental.co.uk)

“A higher proportion than ever are presenting with symptoms of bruxism, including chipped teeth and headaches.”

Studies have found that almost 70 per cent of bruxism happens due to stress or anxiety.

Clenching the jaw and grinding the teeth can happen during the day (often when we’re concentrating, feeling under pressure or when we’re generally tense, anxious or worried) or at night, when it can lead to broken sleep.

People are often unaware they’re night-time grinders (unless their other half lets them know), but telltale signs can be waking up with a sore jaw or headache…

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