The Dangers of Worn Teeth and What To Do About Teeth Grinding

November 1, 2011

You’ve seen people with short teeth, a smile without much of those pearly whites that show. Other folks have big chips off several of the biting edges of their smile teeth. Still other people have upper front teeth that are all the same legnth, as if a saw cut them all exactly even with eachother. And there’s that noise, that awful noise a loved one makes while sleeping.

Tim Before

Hal Before

John Before

You may even be that person but not know it.

Your teeth are short and chipped, but you thought that was normal wear. If asked, you’ll swear you don’t grind or clench your teeth.

Bruxism is an extracurricular activity (not a normal chewing function) that involves grinding and clenching teeth together. Grinding is when you rub your upper and lower teeth together, back and forth, and side to side.

Clenching involves holding your teeth together under constant force without any lateral movement. These grinding and clenching forces are in significant excess of normal chewing forces.

A person may grind or clenchor do both during different times of the day and/or night with grinding being the most common oral habit.

Heavily Worn Lower Front Teeth

Heavily Worn Upper Front Teeth

Millions of children and adults are affected by bruxism.

It is estimated that 50-90% of the adult population of the US is involved. Many don’t know it because they grind or clench their teeth at night while sleeping.

Better than 15% of children brux their teeth. This is heightened during the eruption of their baby teeth, and then again as they lose their baby teeth and permanent teeth erupt.

You thought the wear and chipped edges of your teeth were normal.

You are getting older, so what gives?

OK, I am Going to Get Technical Here for a Minute!

The NORMAL bite force on natural teeth ranges from 5 to 44 pounds per square inch (PSI). It takes a bite force of 28 PSI to chew a raw carrot and a force of 21 PSI to chew meat. Chewing forces are applied on teeth only about 9 minutes each day.

The other NORMAL time forces are applied to teeth is during swallowing, and those forces reach as high as 3-5 PSI. A person swallows 25 times per hour while awake and 10 times per hour while sleeping for a total of 480 times each 24 hour period. This amounts to 20 minutes of contact during swallowing.

The normal chewing force differes from the maximum bite force, and varies widely among individuals. The normal maximum bite force on teeth ranges from 45 to as high as 550 lbs. The maximum biting force of a person who grinds their teeth is greater than normal due to their increased muscle stregnth.

Bruxism can be controlled! Check tomorrows post for a home evaluation for clenching and grinding.

Yours for better dental health,