When small children have rotten teeth they end up at the dentist; yet the dental problem they have is an, “end point,” condition –the cause is almost always too frequent intake of sugar. It wasn’t one particular sweet or one bottle of juice it was a process.
I suspect that the majority of bruxism and TMJ syndrome cases that turn up at the dentists are also, ”end-point,” cases resulting from an emotional process; at least the cases I’ve been involved with have been.
One chap came shortly after becoming a dad for the first time. The link was that his wife was up in the night feeding the baby and her husband grinding his teeth was driving her nuts. He didn’t have a problem. The interesting thing was that he did everything a 100 miles an hour. As a driver he couldn’t idle. In a queue of traffic he pulled into the centre of the road to check out what the hold-up was – like it made a difference. At traffic lights he drummed his fingers on the wheel and became impatient if the car ahead wasn’t off the mark as quickly as he would have been.
Another chap, as driven as the 100 miles an hour chap, never focussed on just one thing. In a job where he made a decision on a case, identified the information needed and reviewed it when his clerks had got the info’, he would always sneak a peek what was coming in and monitor his clerks progress. He ate at his desk and never relaxed – though he seemed happy enough.
Like many other clients, people with bruxism and TMJ syndrome, find it hard to conceive of running their emotional lives any other way and would say, ”that’s the way I am.” It’s when I suggest that they actually became thus as they learned to deal with the world that possibilities open up. We can then explore a range of alternative ways of dealing with life’s frustrations and come up with a less driven, more focussed approach. The surprise for them is not just that the bruxism or TMJ syndrome starts to diminish but that they are no less efficient and are often more effective.
I’m still puzzled quite why people who have adapted in this way grind their teeth or clamp their jaw in their sleep and someone who seems to have made a similar driven adaptation don’t. My hunch is that, Hamlet like; the breaks come off once they’re asleep.
I’ve found focussing on the “end-point,” to be a waste of time. Focussing on the manner in which they manage their emotions during the day is much more productive.
