Bruxism is a disorder of tension in the mouth (teeth and jaw) that can lead to severe pain problems in the face, head, neck and back, and even affect our postural activity. In many cases it derives from emotional problems related to stress, so CBD, as an anxiolytic capable of reducing anxiety, could play a fundamental role in the treatment of bruxism.
What is Bruxism?
Bruxism is a disorder of the mouth in which people clench their jaw and teeth, unconsciously and for no apparent reason. A repeated movement that can be performed when we are asleep, or when we are awake. This reflex action of grinding the teeth or contracting the jaw does not respond to any real physiological need, as it does during the act of eating, when we clench our teeth to chew our food.
This repeated jaw tension can lead to problems of wear and tear of the mouthparts, or muscular pain in the face, skull, neck and even back. The symptoms of bruxism are often treated with dental splints for rest, sleep or even daytime, to prevent oral malformations and muscle contractures.
Causes: Why does bruxism occur?
The causes of bruxism are multiple, and only specialized personnel (physicians, osteopaths or physiotherapists, among others) can clarify the reasons for each bruxism. In any case, people can suffer from bruxism due to the following causes:
- Dental or buccal malformation: when the shape of the bite does not fit correctly, resulting in an uncontrolled contraction of the mouth.
- Stress, nervousness and mood: when bruxism appears as a physical response to a state of internal nerves.
- Use of certain medications
How CBD helps in cases of bruxism
CBD, as a cannabinoid capable of connecting with the CB1 system of our body’s endocannabinoid system, can modify our response to pain, inflammation, and emotions. Therefore, it could present benefits against bruxism of different types, depending on the use of cannabidiol.
Pain relief
On the one hand, CBD could alleviate head and muscle pain caused by bruxism, thanks to its analgesic properties. Depending on the impact of the entourage effect (according to which the different components of cannabis – different cannabinoids and terpenes – complement each other and modulate the effects produced by each other), it would be important to consider, for the relief of bruxism pain, the use of full spectrum oils, which provide more complete analgesic benefits against pain.
Muscle relaxation
The anti-inflammatory properties of CBD contribute to muscle relaxation, so cannabidiol would mitigate the symptoms of bruxism. Some studies carried out in this field (https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/15/7807) suggest that CBD would counteract the muscle contraction in the face caused by bruxism, alleviating the symptoms of this jaw disorder.
Improves sleep quality
Nocturnal bruxism is highly frequent: that pressure of the mouth while sleeping that grinds and wears down the teeth. It is common, in fact, to use dental splints for sleeping to protect the teeth and cushion the contraction of the jaw. On this point, CBD, as an active component influencing the reduction of the REM sleep phase (the one during which we dream or have nightmares, and during which our body reacts to the emotions of those dreams), CBD would improve the quality of sleep.
Jaw physiotherapy with CBD
Some of the most commonly used treatments for bruxism are those related to physiotherapy and osteopathy. By means of pressure massages on the affected area, the contraction mechanisms of bruxism can be broken, and even the area can be re-educated so as not to continue emitting this involuntary movement of our body.
In these cases, the topical use of CBD (creams and oils with high levels of cannabidiol in their formulation) is often used to relieve inflammation in localized areas. The application of cannabidiol ointments during therapeutic massages in the area would enhance the effects of the treatments thanks to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
How to use CBD to treat bruxism
For bruxism, two types of CBD applications can be considered: topical or oral. Topical application involves the external use of CBD, through creams applied directly to the area(cheekbones, jaw, chin, neck, head) to relax the contracted area. As mentioned before, massages are a recurrent treatment against bruxism, and massaging with CBD creams would enhance the positive effects of therapeutic friction.
How bruxism affects our daily life
The constant contraction of the mouth and jaw degenerates into broader health problems. By permanently exerting tension on specific muscles, bruxism often causes muscle contractures and pain in the face, head and neck area.
It is important to remember that some of the strongest muscles in our body are located precisely in our face. That is why bruxism has such an impact on our health when we exert a continuous and prolonged pressure of great intensity. That is why our daily life can be negatively altered by headaches, pain in the cheekbones and in the lateral part of the skull, and even cervical blockage. So, if you are considering buying cbd, we invite you to discover the catalog of products we have for you.
Bibliography and Digital Sources
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- Porter, B. and Jacobson, C. (2013). Report of a parent survey of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis use in pediatric treatment-resistant epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior, 29(3), pp.574-577.
- Clark, S. (2021). Best CBD Oil for TMJ disorders. CBD Clinicals. https://cbdclinicals.com/best-cbd-oil-for-tmj-disorders/
- Vučković, S. et al. (2018). Cannabinoids and pain: New insights from old molecules. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2018.01259/full
- Nitecka-Buchta, A., Nowak-Wachol, A., Wachol, K., Walczyńska-Dragon, K., Olczyk, P., Batoryna, O., Kempa, W., & Baron, S. (2019). Myorelaxant Effect of Transdermal Cannabidiol Application in Patients with TMD: A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial. Journal of clinical medicine, 8(11), 1886. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8111886
- Lal, S. J., & Weber, K. K. (2020). Bruxism Management. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
- Shrader, S. H., Tong, Y. G., Duff, M. B., Freedman, J. H., & Song, Z. H. (2020). Involvement of dopamine receptor in the actions of non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids. Biochemical and biophysical research communications, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.10.021.
- Pacheco, D. (2021). Is cannabidiol a safe and effective sleep aid? Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/cbd-and-sleep
- Sybertz, A. (2021). CBD for dental pain, anxiety, and problems: Does it work? The Healthy. https://www.thehealthy.com/dental/cbd-for-dental-pain-and-anxiety/
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