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The grinding and clenching of teeth is known as ‘bruxism’. This chiefly occurs at night during sleep, but may also happen during the day. It is common in children and in adults. It is an unconscious behaviour that people do when they are stressed, are angered and require to release anxiety or aggression. However abnormally aligned teeth or jaws may also be the cause of teeth grinding, as may be hyperactivity as in sufferers of ADHD. Intestinal worms have also been identified as instigators of teeth grinding, as have medication and certain health disorders.

Teeth grinding may be audible to parents, when by a child, or the partner of an adult who customarily does this. Not only is it unnatural, it causes lasting damage to the teeth, flattens them, reduces or wears off the protective tooth enamel, and may chip and fracture them. Concomitant complaints may hence occur, as may jaw pain, muscular tension, aches of face, head, ears and cheek [1, 2].

Homeopathic remedies have been found useful in stopping this behaviour. Some are listed below [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]:

– Arsenicum album: Violent, convulsive grinding of teeth while asleep, when cold. Teeth feel elongated.

– Belladonna: Violent grinding causes teeth to be painful. The pain is sharp and pulling. In fever, convulsive grinding is often concomitant with throbbing headache. Teeth may also be clinched tightly.

– Calcium carbonicum: Grinding. The teeth are sensitive to cold air, cold or hot foods. Pains are shooting, piercing and gnawing.

– Chamomilla: Grinding during dentition, and when cold.

– Cina: Grinding during sleep. There is bruised pain from cold drinks and cold air that is drawn in. This remedy is indicated when there is a concomitant infestation with worms.

– Hyoscyamus: Clenching and grinding of teeth, with tearing pulsative pains. The teeth feel too long.

– Natrium phosphoricum: Grinding in children during sleep.

– Kalium bromatum: Grinding during teething and with neural affections, during sleep.

– Kalium phosphoricum: Has nervous chattering, mumbling and grinding of teeth while sleeping.

– Plantago: Nightly grinding occurs concomitant to intense pain and sensitivity in the teeth, accompanied by soreness and increased salivation.

– Podophyllum: Grinding at night, with a burning sensation on the tongue. There is a persistent desire to clinch the teeth together.

– Santoninum: Grinding and clenching of teeth during sleep. An infestation with worms may be the causative factor of the grinding of this remedy.

– Stramonium: There is teeth grinding during sleep, and when enraged. During the latter there may also be rhythmic arbitary movements of the head, arms and legs. The pain is pulsative, and the teeth feel loose, are clinched firmly.

– Tarantula: There a persistent inclination to clinch the teeth together, and grinding in epilepsy.

– Tuberculinum: Grinding during sleep. Teeth feel loose.

– Zincum valerianum: Grinding with rolling of the head in neural affections.

 

 

 

 

 

References:

[1] NHS (2017) Overview – Teeth grinding (bruxism), Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/teeth-grinding/ (Accessed: March 2019).

[2] Mayo clinic (2019) Bruxism (teeth grinding), Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bruxism/symptoms-causes/syc-20356095(Accessed: March 2019).

[3] Boericke, W. (1899)The twelve tissue remedies of Schüssler Archive [Online] . Available at: https://archive.org/ (Accessed: March 2019).

[4] Boericke, W. (2004) Pocket manual of homeopathic materia medica and repertory New Delhi: B.Jain publishers Ltd.

[5] Clarke, J. (1994) A Dictionary of practical materia medica New Delhi: B.Jain publishers Ltd.

[6] Imhäuser, H. (1970) Homöopathie in der Kinderheilkunde, 3 edn., Heidelberg: Haug Verlag.

[7] Kent, J. (2000) Lectures on homeopathic materia medica. Homeoint [Online]. Available at: http://homeoint.org/books3/kentmm/(Accessed: March 2019).