The act of teeth grinding is formally called bruxism, and for most people, it's both involuntary and almost entirely nocturnal. The first sign of bruxism can be sore, strained jaw muscles and sensitive teeth when you wake up in the morning. How will this affect your dental implant?

Deeply Buried

The implant itself (a small titanium alloy screw) is deeply buried in your jawbone. After implant surgery, your jaw healed around the implant, locking it into place by producing osteoblasts (cells that synthesise new bone tissue). Once sufficiently healed, the implant becomes a tooth root, and a prosthetic tooth (made of ceramic) is attached to your new artificial tooth root. The prosthetic tooth can match the bite force of a natural tooth, and this realism is the main drawcard of an implant. But just like any natural tooth, overnight grinding can inflict real damage on implants.

Excessive Occlusal Forces

The ceramic tooth attached to your implant is extraordinarily strong, and grinding it against a natural tooth can lead to rapid corrosion of that natural tooth's surface enamel. The excessive occlusal forces (relative bite force) experienced by the tooth will exert pressure throughout its ceramic body and into the implant anchored in your jaw. These forces may be sufficient to slowly disrupt and then break the implant's integration with your jawbone.

Pressure Tolerance

As the implant repeatedly exceeds its pressure tolerance, it will begin to loosen. The prosthetic tooth will similarly become mobile, and this will be evident during eating and speaking. The implant's mobility will create friction, with the titanium alloy implant pressing against both bone and gum tissues. It will not be a pleasant experience, and you must see your dentist immediately. The implant must be removed, but it can be replaced once adequate healing has taken place. The trick is to avoid things from escalating to this stage.

Overnight Protection

If you suspect you're grinding your teeth, please see your dentist immediately. You will need a night guard, which is a thermoplastic retainer to be worn overnight, preventing physical contact between your upper and lower sets of teeth. This is adequate protection for your implant. The implant and its tooth must also be assessed for damage. Since many instances of grinding are caused by dental issues that shift your jaws out of alignment, your grinding may subside—as the placement of your dental implant will progressively correct your misalignment.

Grinding your teeth together can pose a real threat to your implant, so you must be checked out by your dentist at the first sign of trouble. Contact a local dentist to learn more about implants.