Night-Time Grinding and a Clicking Jaw Joint
The sound alone is not a diagnosis; the findings beside it give it meaning.
Where the click comes from
The jaw joint works between the rounded head of the lower jaw and a hollow in the skull, with a cartilaginous disc cushioning them. As the mouth opens, the disc glides forward with the condyle. If the disc has shifted forward, the condyle jumps over it and back beneath it during opening, producing a click; a second sound can occur on closing. The noise does not mean the joint surfaces are damaged — it indicates a coordination problem during movement.
How grinding affects the picture
Night-time grinding keeps the chewing muscles contracted for long periods and raises pressure on the joint surfaces, which can make an existing disc problem more obvious and cause muscle pain and morning fatigue. The relationship is not one-way, though, and grinding is not the only cause: joint laxity, previous trauma, long procedures with the mouth held open and bite changes all contribute, so wear patterns, muscle tenderness and opening range are assessed together.
Findings that matter with a noisy joint
- The jaw locking on opening or closing
- A marked reduction in mouth opening
- The jaw deviating to one side on opening
- Pain in the joint area that continues at rest
- A continuous grating noise like sand
- Morning jaw fatigue and headache at the temples
- Accelerating tooth wear and repeated restoration fractures
Getting Here, Booking and Emergencies from Tarim
Route, booking and emergency arrangements for patients from Tarim.
Getting here from Tarim
Tarım lies in the Muratpaşa district of Antalya; Muratpaşa is one of the central districts, about 2 kilometres from the clinic. We also see patients from neighbouring areas that share the route from Tarim, such as Çaybaşı, Etiler, Güzeloluk, Kızıltoprak. You can ask for the location on WhatsApp when travelling from Tarim.
Appointments for Tarim
At this distance, splitting treatment into visits is no problem for patients from Tarım, and attending reviews is easy too. As with patients from Muratpasa generally, appointments for families from Tarim can be scheduled consecutively.
Emergencies from Tarim
Setting out from Tarım at night is quick; come without delay in an emergency, and calling as you leave means preparation is done in advance. For patients coming from Dental Clinic in Tarim, the clinic is open 24/7 and in an emergency the order is set by severity rather than arrival time. For spreading facial swelling, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or toothache with fever, go to the nearest emergency department.
Steps in Treating Tooth Sensitivity
Sensitivity does not have a single cause, so there is no single treatment. The approach proceeds in steps, from simple to complex.
The cause is separated first
Treatment is not chosen before the source is found. An exposed root surface, wedge-shaped wear, decay, a fractured filling, a cracked tooth, temporary sensitivity after whitening and the period after gum treatment all call for different approaches. Whether the sensitivity lasts after the stimulus is removed also matters: brief sensitivity and pain lasting minutes are different pictures.
The steps
They are tried in order, and the first two suffice in most cases:
- Desensitising toothpaste, used regularly and without rinsing
- Correcting brushing technique and moving to a soft brush
- Fluoride varnish and desensitising agents at the clinic
- Covering the exposed root surface with composite
- Covering the root with a gum graft
- Root canal treatment in refractory cases — the last resort
Why toothpaste does not work immediately
Desensitising pastes work by occluding the tubules in dentine or by reducing nerve transmission; both are cumulative processes. Two to four weeks of regular use is needed. The commonest mistake is rinsing thoroughly after brushing — the active agent is washed away. The correct approach is to spit out the excess without rinsing, and even to rub a little onto the sensitive area with a finger and leave it.
