San José, Costa Rica. June, 2016.

Bruxism… the word may not be familiar but if you are a person who suffers from a lot of stress and jaw pain and you grind your teeth when sleeping, this term may be part of your daily life.

As Fabián González Gutiérrez, specialist in physical therapy of the Clínica Bíblica Hospital, explains, bruxism “is a problem where the person clenches his/her teeth or grinds them or rubs them back and forth one over the other, and it is one of the most common disorders of TMJ (temporomandibular joint).”

In fact, the TMJ dysfunctions are very common and affect from 20% to 40% of the population. Jaw pain is one of the most characteristic symptoms. In addition, there may difficulty in opening the mouth when eating or speaking, noise (that sounds as clicks) and a feeling of jaw fatigue, among others.

Whether it is a case of bruxism, or of any other TMJ problem, it is essential to have an adequate dental and physiotherapeutic check-up in order to be able to resolve the problem in the most adequate and comprehensive way.

Physiotherapy, through manual treatments, can be a great help, since it not only relieves pain, but also collaborates to achieve an adequate posture education and muscle conditioning.

In order to obtain further information or request an appointment in any of the medical specialties, please contact the private hospital Clínica Bíblica at telephone number 2522-1000, by email at citas@clinicabiblica.com or via chat at the website: www.clinicabiblica.com