Vanesa Lopez
12/04/2020 12:42 PM
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 12/04/2020 12:42 PM
Bruxism is an involuntary habit that leads us to
clench our jaw
or
grind our teeth
at night.
It is something very frequent - more than we think - and it is being aggravated during the coronavirus pandemic.
"The consultations
increased by 20 to 25%
, since as people were able to approach our Institute, we could notice an increase in people who suffer from bruxism", say the experts from the Buenos Aires Dental Institutes (IOBA).
This pathology causes damage to the teeth, the joint and the muscles involved.
It also causes deterioration of tooth enamel, acute hypersensitivity, weakening of the gums and wear on teeth.
Stress is the main factor
that causes it.
"At times like the ones we are experiencing, the number of consultations for bruxism or for conditions related to it and stress has
increased notably,
" agrees Patricia Moreno, a member of the Argentine Dental Association (AOA).
All the dentists consulted agree that cases of bruxism increased.
Photo Archive.
Since the beginning of the pandemic - he continues - patients consulted for one or more of these symptoms, either due to the closure of their activity, due to the change in family or work dynamics, due to illness of loved ones, or due to altered economies.
Moreno is a professor of dentistry at USAL / AOA.
Talking with their students about their problems in the face of not being present in a career with a high level of practices and the impossibility of receiving this year, many of them said they suffered a significant increase in bruxism.
"That is to say, it
appears at all ages
of our lives," the dentist analyzes, who explains that all people at some point have episodes of bruxism, but the problem is when it manifests as a chronic disease.
For his part, Claudio Furman, former president of the Argentine Society of Periodontology (SAP), agrees that the number of consultations for bruxism and, also,
fractures of teeth and teeth increased
due to the stress generated during isolation.
“Bruxism can bring pain in the temporomandibular joint, in the chewing muscles and also wear or fractures in teeth.
In my case, I had a lot of (patient) the latter, ”says Furman.
To treat bruxism, they suggest doing physical activity, drinking two liters of water per day and starting psychological therapies.
Photo Luciano Thieberger.
How can we prevent it?
“Bruxism occurs at the oral level, but it is a problem that has its origin in tension discharges.
Its prevention at the dental level would be the use of relaxation plates, although this would only treat the effect and not the causes ”, responds Furman.
The myorelaxing or "resting" plates are devices made of rigid and transparent acrylic, which are used in the upper dental arch, and which are made to measure for the patient.
For IOBA experts they are "the best form of prevention."
While Dr. Moreno proposes a
more comprehensive treatment
that includes physical activity, drinking two liters of water per day, starting psychological therapies to treat stress and avoid ingesting stimulants -such as coffee or mate- before going to rest.
Of course, the problem crosses borders.
A Tel Aviv University study concluded that
50% of Israeli women
suffer from excessive teeth grinding or pain in the facial muscles.
They suffer from it more than men.
According to the report - published in the
Journal of Clinical Medicine
- the act of clenching the jaw during the day rose from 17% before the pandemic to 32% during isolation.
And the grinding of teeth at night rose from 10% to 36%.
Also, people who had already suffered from these symptoms before quarantine now had a
15% increase in severity
.
The myorelaxing or "resting" plates are made of rigid and transparent acrylic.
Photo Shutterstock.
On the other hand, the dentist Hilda Rivas, president of the Committee of Stomatologists of the Argentine Medical Association (AMA), comments that during the pandemic there was a notable increase in a pathology called
Burning Mouth Syndrome.
“The patient goes crazy, because he feels that he has embers in his mouth.
He tells you: '
It burns me, it burns me, it hurts
' ”, describes the specialist.
25% of the population
that Rivas treated in the period of the pandemic had Burning Mouth Syndrome.
In a normal situation, the percentage ranges from 1 to 15%.
All of these patients had a common pattern, which was anxiety and depression.
And many of them declared that it was
in March or April
when they began with the most accentuated symptoms, coinciding with the beginning of the quarantine.
“This has to do with the emotional part.
In men it is more related to stress.
In women, with depression and anxiety ”, Rivas remarks, convinced that“
the body takes its toll
”.
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Jaw disorders: a widespread but underdiagnosed disease