Teeth Grinding With Dentures – Does It Cause Damage?

If you experience teeth clenching or teeth grinding with dentures, then this article may be for you, as it is a serious concern relating to the damage caused to dentures. Teeth grinding is also called bruxism and does not always stop simply because you’ve lost all your teeth. As a matter of fact, those who have never grinded their teeth in the past may actually start this behavior after getting dentures. Teeth clenching or grinding can be very damaging to dentures and can also damage the muscles in the jaw as well as the jaw joints. When extra stress is applied to the dentures, they will disfigure, wear down faster or even become damaged.

Excessive Pressure Caused by Grinding

Even with dentures not in place as is often the case at night while sleeping, teeth-grinding or clenching is damaging. The excessive pressure caused by grinding or clenching tends to damage the gums and bone leading to bone loss. Simply stated, if you are clenching your jaw at night you may be doing serious damage. As the bone structure of the jaw changes, dentures may become uneven resulting in a poor fit. Another way to look at the problem is that dentures themselves may actually cause grinding or clenching of the teeth. When there is a bad bite in dentures, it may provoke one to grind or clench their teeth.

Implant Dentures

If grinding your teeth at night is a problem, there are solutions including something known as a nighttime appliance. This helps to keep the jaw in place while maintaining a more relaxed jaw position. Another option is something known as implant dentures. This is a more permanent solution to removable dentures and may help to reduce the chances of clenching or grinding. Contact your Walnut Creek dentist, Dr. Massood Darvishzadeh at Dental Implant Solutions, today to learn more about how to approach the problem of teeth grinding with dentures.

References:
[1] What Are My Denture Alternatives?
[2] All On Four Compared To Dentures