Smart Mouth Guard Detects Grinding of Teeth, Sends Alert and Prevents Damage

The mouth guard equipped with sensors detects bruxism measures how much force the jaw applied and which teeth were most affected.

Most people grind their teeth involuntarily, otherwise called bruxism, during sleep or due to medications, psychological stress.

Engineers at the University of Florida have developed a smart mouth guard that can detect when a patient grinds his teeth, issuing warnings to stop and letting their dentist know they have a problem.

Bruxism - Incidence Causes Diagnosis Treatment Prevention FAQs
Bruxism is the unconscious clenching or grinding of teeth, during sleep. Nocturnal teeth grinding is one of the most common sleep disorders

The device has a sensor that detects the characteristic vibrations of teeth grinding against each other. Within the mouth guard, a bluetooth radio is paired with a smartphone to send readings that can be reviewed later and sound alarms to stop grinding.

The mouth guard is currently outfitted with only one type of sensor, but the researchers plan to expand its capabilities to be able to measure body temperature and levels of hydration, as well as include accelerometers that can detect potential concussions.

At least 20 percent of the U.S. population – about 30 million people – suffer from bruxism, which frequently is caused by stress and can lead to damaged teeth, headaches, insomnia, and a sore jaw.

Toothache | Dental pain |Tooth pain
A toothache is a pain in or around a tooth that occurs due to various reasons that irritate the nerve supplied to tooth. Though Toothache is not life-threatening, it can get worse if left untreated.

Source-Medindia

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Anxiety experienced in social circumstances elevates the risk of bruxism, the excessive grinding of the teeth and/or excessive clenching of the jaw.

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