Sleep Disorder Associated with Grinding and Clenching

New research suggests grinding and clenching your teeth while you sleep could be caused not by stress but by a sleep disorder.  Sleep studies have shown alpha wave intrusion occurs during grinding or clenching.  Dr. Niessen looks at this new approach to a very common problem.

STORY: SLEEP DISORDER

SCRIPT #512 SHOOT: 4/17/03

AIRDATE: Monday, June 2, 2003

Daybreak and Midday

DHC Master #17 Timecode: 54:21 Could grinding your teeth at night

be a serious sleep disorder?

Some researchers and dentists say yes!

They are finding new answers

why so many people grind and clench

their teeth while they sleep.

Dr. Linda Niessen of Baylor College of

Dentistry has the latest in

today’s Dental Health Check.

SOVT: 1:47 ------------------------------------------------------

WOMAN GOING TO SLEEP (voice-over)

Every night, millions of Americans

go to sleep and grind and clench

their teeth.

CLOSE-UP OF WOMAN ASLEEP In the past, dentists often connected

the nighttime problem to daytime stress.

SUPER: Kelley Rockecharlie :13-18 (“I am not a very nice person. I am very

Night Grinding Patient cranky. It’s hard to keep going through

the day. With teaching you have to be on

all the time.”)

KELLEY IN DENTAL CHAIR Kelley Rockecharlie is a grade school

teacher. Two years passed before she

realized that she was a nighttime grinder.

KELLEY (“It started real slow. And then it just

progressively got worse to one day I

couldn’t even open my mouth. My jaws

were locked.”)

ON CAMERA (STAND-UP BRIDGE)

SUPER: Dr. Linda Niessen :34-38 Night time grinding not only damages

Baylor College of Dentistry your teeth. It also can damage your

sleep. It can lead to daytime

drowsiness, just like snoring or sleep

apnea.

Page 2 Sleep Disorder

SUPER: Dr. Steven Bender :43-48 (“One of the new theories about teeth

Dentist grinding is that it’s actually part of a sleep disorder very similar to restless leg syndrome.”)

MAN IN SLEEP STUDY (SNORING) Conventional sleep studies also can

detect grinding or clenching.

But patients may be able to diagnose

the nighttime problem on their own.

Ask these questions.

GRAPHIC Do you wake up with sore jaws or

a headache?

Do you wake up tired?

Do you have unexplained cracked fillings or cracked teeth?

Are your teeth getting shorter?

WOMAN WAKING UP Deep, restful sleep occurs when our brain emits delta brain waves. Clenching and grinding interrupts delta sleep with alpha brain waves.

DR. BENDER (“Patients who do clench their teeth are

having what is called alpha wave intrusion which basically means they’re not getting

the deep restful, restorative sleep that is

necessary.”

KELLEY WITH NIGHTGUARD The best treatment remains a mouth guard

worn faithfully every night.

KELLEY GETTING NIGHT GUARD (“You just pop it in and pop it out in the

morning. And it works much better.”)

For Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A&M System, I’m Dr. Linda Niessen, Channel 8 News.

For Viewer inquiries:

Dr. Steven Bender

5068 West Plano Parkway

Plano, Tx 75093

214-291-8063