#35 BRUXISM, TMD, Alternative Therapies with Dr. Damian Teo

Bruxism isn’t just “clenching and grinding”—it’s a symptom. In this episode of The Odontojam Podcast, Dr. Jesse Liang sits down with Dr. Damian Teo (TMD & dental sleep medicine clinician/educator) to unpack the modern understanding of bruxism and its relationship to TMD. They separate sleep vs. awake bruxism, explain why the sympathetic fight-or-flight system drives parafunction, and map common triggers—from stress, injury and hormonal changes to sleep-disordered breathing (snoring/OSA) and reflux.
Dr. Teo outlines practical, diagnosis-first management: when to choose permissive vs. non-permissive splints, the risks of splinting unrecognised OSA, and why multidisciplinary care (physio/osteo, psychology, ENT/sleep, TMJ-aware dentistry) matters. He introduces “bracing” (muscle tension without tooth contact), the BruxApp for daytime awareness, posture/SCM links, and strategies to mitigate mandibular advancement splint bite changes (morning exercises/aligner). We also explore acupuncture/low-level laser vs. dry needling.

Key takeaways

• Treat the cause, not just the teeth: screen sleep and reflux before splinting.
• Bracing is common in daytime bruxism—awareness tools can reduce pain quickly.
• Splints protect; they don’t “cure.” Diagnosis dictates design (muscle vs. joint).
• Informed consent and morning deprogramming help manage MAS bite changes.
• Multimodal care (manual therapy, psychological support, sleep medicine, acupuncture/laser) improves outcomes.