Dentist Dr Jennifer Collins
Mild teeth grinding and clenching doesn’t always require treatment but if the problem is severe options include dental approaches to prevent further damage to the teeth, as well as trying to address the underlying cause. One of the common forms of treatment recommended by dentists is a mouth guard or splint which creates a physical barrier between the teeth, although it doesn’t stop the grinding.
Compliance with mouth guards can sometimes be a problem and often patients do not wear their guard for the long term, according to McAuliffe, who is part of the team of Irish researchers that invented SmartSplint. This is an intelligent mouth guard which goes on the market in six months’ time and allows dentists to record detailed data about their patients’ bruxism to optimise dental care.