What the Brux?

Bruxism - What is it?

Bruxism is the name given to excessive teeth grinding or clenching. This can lead to issues such as headache, tooth or jaw ache, jaw clicking and wearing down of the teeth enamel.

Bruxism can be separated into two main types; awake bruxism and sleep bruxism.

Awake bruxism is thought to be related to stress, with mainly jaw clenching.

Sleep bruxism is a little more complicated. There are genetic factors, with nocturnal bruxism more frequent amongst family members, there is evidence that stress can certainly play a part, and that dental mal-occlusion may be a cause. Teeth clenching and grinding has been associated with micro-arousals during sleep. It is more common in people who suffer from conditions such as sleep apnoea, or other sleep disorders.

Treatment for bruxism is usually multifactorial, sometimes requiring management of stress, dental treatments including splints and jaw exercises to treat the TM joint.

Botulinum toxin can be used to weaken the main muscle group related to bruxism, which is the masseter muscle. The masseter muscle is a large muscle at the side of the jaw, and with cases of bruxism, patient’s often suffer from hypertrophy of this muscle.  

Botulinum toxin injection into the masseter can be two-fold. It can treat function or symptoms of pain, but it can also be used to improve the facial aesthetic.

Enlarged masseter muscles can lead to an asymmetric jaw appearance or a ‘square’ or ‘rounder’ appearance of the face. Botulinum toxin can be used to slim the face, even in patient’s who don’t report symptoms of bruxism.

Dr Nicole Chater