Electric shock treats teeth grinding

A mild electric shock can help treat patients complaining of nighttime teeth grinding, overcoming their daytime sleepiness.

Teeth grinding or bruxism is a common and usually harmless sleeping habit induced by sleep apnea, high levels of anxiety and depression.

Untreated bruxism can lead to excessive tooth wear and decay, periodontal tissue damage, jaw pain and temporomandibular joint or TMJ pain, headaches, and sleep disturbances.

Wearing a mouthguard when sleeping to prevent the top and bottom teeth from meeting and using certain painkillers along with relaxation therapies are the common ways used to treat the condition.

"The broken sleep pattern caused by grinding can exacerbate any stresses or worries already being felt by the patient, and add an extra layer of anxiety to their lives," said lead researcher David Vivian.

He added that the new device would improve not only the quality of sleep but also the psychological and physical problems associated with grinding.

Grindcare is a small electrode placed on the temple which monitors the movement of facial muscles and delivers tiny electrical impulses or biofeedback as soon as it detects the initiation of grinding.

The impulse, which helps relax the muscles, is not consciously detected by the sleeping patient. It, however, causes headaches and stiff necks.

The device has shown promising results in reducing grinding by as much as 80% within two months.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=111362§ionid=3510210.