Celexa, Teeth Grinding and Jaw Tension

The technical or medical term for teeth grinding is Bruxism. This is a nighttime grinding habit that wears away at the tooth enamel and causes inflammation and swelling in the tendons and ligaments in the jaw.

Teeth grinding is one of the uncommon side effects of antidepressants, specifically the serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Celexa and teeth grinding and jaw tension, although uncommon, are painful and can cause damage to the enamel of your teeth.

From a dental standpoint the grinding removes very critical parts of the enamel from the chewing surfaces of the teeth. From an orthodontic standpoint the grinding will cause swelling, inflammation and eventual wear down of the tendons that pass between the mandibular bone and the temporal bones through the Temporomadibular joint. This is the joint that literally hinges your lower jaw to your head.

The condition of teeth grinding and jaw tension is relatively common in the general public. Approximately 20% of adults do this while awake and 8% during their sleep. Unfortunately, during sleep the force that a persons bites with can be up to six times greater than that used during waking hours. So although only 8% do this at night, those 8% are causing more difficulty that those doing it during the day.

Celexa and teeth grinding and jaw tension have an increased incidence of night time teeth grinding that is higher than the daytime bruxism. Symptoms of teeth grinding includes pain or discomfort around the ears when you are yawning or chewing; tenderness of the jaw; clicking, locking or popping in the jaw; jaw muscle cramping; headaches or neckaches, ringing in the ears, dizziness; teeth fractures from the pressure; morning jaw pain; and tooth enamel rubbed off causing sensitivity.

Teeth grinding will eventually affect the way the tooth sits in the gum and cause damage to the teeth. It can awaken your partner, break your teeth or fillings, limit your jaw motion, and worsen your TMJ symptoms.

There are several different causes that physicians have found which include emotional stress, allergies, anxiety, personalities characterized by aggression or control, teeth which arent aligned correctly, head or neck injury or medications such as Zoloft, Celexa and Paxil.

There is no current cure for teeth grinding but there is treatment. When the condition is caused by medication, such as celexa and teeth grinding and jaw tension, you and your doctor can discuss whether that medication can be changed. You must weigh the risk vs. benefit of the medication and the amount of teeth grinding that you are doing. One option is to try using some of the treatment options used to manage teeth grinding, especially if the medication is giving you good control over the mental health issues it is designed to treat.

Your orthodontist or dentist who specializes in TMJ may recommend relaxation techniques, daily TMJ exercises, biofeedback mechanisms, and a night guard for night grinding. If these treatments fail to help the situation you may find that changing the medication to protect the long-term health of your teeth is important. Be sure to keep both your dental physician and your psychotherapist involved in the decision making about the treatment of both the teeth and mental health issues.

There are some medications that are used to help with the pain people feel in their jaws upon awakening in the morning. When you are suffering from Celexa and teeth grinding and jaw tension your doctor may suggest that you use an antianxiety drug such as BuSpar to alleviate that side effect. Your first approach however, should be using a night splint since adding another medication to the mix may increase the number of side effects you experience.