New electric shock treatment for teeth grinders

Recently, a number of dentists announced considerable increases in the number of patients visiting them with symptoms of teeth grinding; it is thought that stress caused by the recession is to blame for the sharp rise, with financial workers the worst-affected group.

Teeth grinding is often a subconscious action, with millions of people grinding their teeth each night without realising; however, the effects can produce noticeable, painful symptoms including headaches and pain in the jaw and teeth.

Previously, treatment for people that grind their teeth was basically restricted to wearing a mouth guard device during the night. However, a team of scientific researchers in Denmark have developed a novel means of dealing with bruxism; the device delivers tiny electric shocks and has been proven to reduce teeth grinding by at least 50 percent after 2 weeks and up to 80 percent after 8 weeks.

Bruxism, commonly known as teeth grinding affects 1 in 4 British adults and is consequently the most common sleep condition. When the teeth grind together, considerable pressure is placed on the surface of the teeth, which can cause the protective enamel surface to wear away. Once the enamel has started to wear, the softer dentin portion of the tooth can become exposed, making the tooth much more vulnerable to decay.

In most cases, the action of grinding teeth is related to stress or anxiety but it may also be associated with problems with a person’s occlusion (also known as their ‘bite’) and can also be more common during pregnancy and the menopause.

The new Grindcare device works by monitoring changes in the muscle tension in the temple; when it detects a change which pre-empts grinding of the teeth, it sends a tiny electric shock, which stops the grinding and relaxes the muscles surrounding the temples. The treatment is currently being trialled by patients in the UK but is not yet widely available in this country.

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