Temporo Mandibular Disorders and Pandemic - Luca Pella

Temporo Mandibular Disorders and Pandemic

 In recent years it has become increasingly common to have to approach the various problems of patients taking into account the problems of excessive teeth clenching as the cause. 

 Many people, many more than in the past, have begun to grind or grind their teeth in a more or less conscious way and this habit leads to an increase in cervical problems and dizzying sensations or loss of balance. But why does this happen?

Grit your teeth and move on

This is a very popular saying that is most likely being said for the first time through first hand experience. If we think about it even when we have to endure a lot of stress (in the movies, for example when the hero of the moment has to endure severe pain) we would like to have something to bite to be able to bear it better. 

 It is not clear why, if not through symbolic speculations, we transfer our ability to withstand a very high or very prolonged stress over time, but clearly our Nervous System has learned this strategy in the past and has decided to keep it 

Keeping the alert

In Italy in particular (I cannot speak for other countries because I have no direct experience) we spent 2 and a half years during which the ALARM atmosphere was maintained continuously even in moments in which some new acquaintances us they would have allowed the tension on some aspects of the pandemic to be lowered. Whether it was right or wrong, we cannot deny that the Italian media maintain an alarmist tone whatever the news. 

Many people who experience the resulting emotional climate more strongly have an attitude very similar to our dear popular saying: so during this “STATE OF EMERGENCY” extended far beyond the normal time of an emergency, these people have gritted their teeth and they are moving on keeping them tight because they will allow themselves to stop, perhaps, once the emergency is over. 

Just a teeth problem?

Absolutely not. When we maintain this very strong jaw tension, many pseudo-neurological symptoms can arise that persist over time, such as: 

 Sensation of being in a boat 

 Nausea 

 Headaches 

Apparent loss of vision 

 tiredness 

Disturbances in memory and concentration

Study that proves it

The strong connection between Temporomandibular Disorders and Psychosocial Factors has been consolidated for some time, so much so that the international criteria for evaluating Temporomandibular Disorders have been the backbone of DC / TMD. 

 A recent study evaluated the impact of the pandemic on the PSYCHOEMOTIONAL state and DTMs on a sample of the Polish and Israeli population. (You can download the original article from the following link & nbsp; <a href=”https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33053640/”> https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33053640/  

The results of the study showed that  the pandemic had adverse effects  on the psychoemotional state of the population  with an intensification of bruxism and temporomandibular disorders 

Similar results were highlighted in a similar study carried out on a  sample of the Italian population https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34652252/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34652252/

what techniques might be indicated in this case?

Quanto sei stressato?