The Role of Physical Therapy in Bruxism Treatment

Have you heard about the term Bruxism? For those who don’t know, Bruxism is the medical term used for grinding or clenching the teeth. This condition can affect adults and children. Grinding of the teeth can be caused by underlying conditions, such as an abnormal jaw alignment, intense concentration, or situational anxiety. 

Bruxism has dominated the world, with 22-31% of the population struggling with it. Today, you can learn about Bruxism and discover how physical therapy can help manage it. 

Physical Therapy’s Role in Managing Bruxis

While many people turn to dentists for solutions like mouthguards or night splints, physical therapy can be just as beneficial as dental care. Want to know how? Since physiotherapists focus on the musculoskeletal aspects, therapists use targeted interventions to reduce pain, improve jaw function, and lower the clenching or grinding.

A dentist can diagnose Bruxism and recommend the most suitable treatment approach, like medication, medical evaluation, self-care, and more. With these interventions, here’s how physical therapy can help:

➔ Targeting Jaw Muscles: Primarily, Bruxism affects the masseter and temporalis muscles, whereas a therapist uses techniques like trigger point therapy, massage, and myofascial release.

➔ Stretching and Relaxation Exercises: A stiffness in the jaw can limit movement and prevent humans from chewing food properly. A therapist uses stretching exercises to relax jaw muscles. This is particularly beneficial for those with sleep Bruxism.

➔ Temporomandibular Disorders Management: Bruxism causes TMD, which further influences the joints connecting the jawbone to the skull. Physical therapy employs manual therapy techniques to address this disorder.

➔ Use of TENS: A physiotherapy intervention, TENS relaxes the jaw muscles and provides pain relief with mild electrical pulses. 

➔ Improve Sleep Quality: When someone is having chronic sleep Bruxism, a physiotherapist performs relaxation exercises and postural adjustments. As a result, a patient experiences better sleep quality and reduced muscle tension. 

Key Physical Therapy Techniques

The main techniques of physiotherapy for Bruxism include jaw exercises and stretches. These holistic approaches can complement dental care. A therapist can suggest the following techniques: 

➔ Relaxation techniques

➔ Strengthening exercises 

➔ Masseter muscle stretch 

➔ Controlled mouth opening 

➔ Combined movements 

➔ Therapeutic exercises

➔ Stretching exercises

➔ Adjunctive therapies

A Few Jaw Exercises

Below, you can find a couple of simple jaw exercises that can be done either in clinical settings or at home:

➔ Jaw Relaxation Exercise

To perform this exercise, you have to sit or stand upright. Next, close the mouth tightly while allowing the teeth to touch barely. To move ahead, rest the tongue on the roof of the mouth and take deep breaths. Hold this position for about 30 seconds, then relax and repeat 5 times.

➔ Chin Tucks

For chin tucks, stand in a comfortable position with a neutral spine. Now, tuck the chin towards the chest to form a double chin. Thereafter, focus on relaxing the jaw muscle while gliding or retracting the chin back to its position. The tucking position should be kept for 5 seconds, and repeating it 10 times improves strain on the jaw.

➔ Side-to-Side Jaw Movements

For side-to-side jaw movements, place the thumb on your chin and gently push it to one side. Hold it for 5 seconds, then relax. Continue doing it until you complete 10 repetitions on each side. By doing this, you can improve jaw mobility and reduce stiffness. 

Note that these exercises should be done as suggested by physiotherapists, because doing them wrong may backfire, while worsening the condition. As these exercises involve joints or muscles and there is no need for any equipment, you can get physiotherapy at home on call for Bruxism. 

Conclusion

The more common Bruxism is, the more disruptive the condition is. Patients who have it suffer in silence as the pain in the jaw is unbearable, as found in some instances. Although dental care is important, when muscles or joints are involved, physiotherapy is the only solution to look for. 

Techniques like postural training, manual therapy, stretching, and TENS therapy show positive results in reducing pain, improving jaw mobility, and reducing teeth grinding due to Bruxism. 

If you know anyone having it, you can either share this knowledge with them or ask them to search for “Physiotherapy Near Me”. Given that it’s a common condition, physiotherapy centers are even providing treatment plans for it.