Although there are fewer adults in contact with children, many adults do need oral mouthparts -- albeit for different purposes. Millions of adults grind their teeth in their sleep, which is known as "bruxism."
Bruxism is one of the causes of tooth wear and tooth loss, as well as other symptoms such as chronic headache and insomnia. The worst part of bruxism is hard to diagnose. Unless your partner mentions that you're grinding your teeth while you're sleeping, you might not realize it's happening! If your dentist to notice wear on your teeth, if you broke a tooth (it is not due to decay or trauma), or if you wake up in the morning when your teeth are very nervous, very painful, or often have a headache in the morning, you may be on the teeth.
