Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)

What is Teeth Grinding and Clenching?

Bruxism, or teeth grinding and clenching, occurs when you grind your teeth together or clench your jaws tightly. Some people clench and grind while awake, and it tends to be a subconscious habit. More often, it is nocturnal.

It’s not unusual to clench and grind your teeth occasionally, and some people do so in stressful situations. The problem arises if it becomes a habit, at which point it can cause tremendous damage to your teeth, wearing them down and causing them to chip and crack, your gums can recede, and it can affect your jaw joints.

Anyone can develop bruxism, but it tends to affect younger people and may develop during childhood or adolescence.

There are two types of bruxism: sleep bruxism and awake bruxism.

Sleep Bruxism

This nocturnal habit can be extremely damaging, and many people are unaware that they clench and grind until they develop other symptoms or visit the dentist. It can be a very noisy habit, so a partner may complain about the disruption to their sleep, alerting the sufferer to this issue.

Because sleep bruxism is nocturnal, you will almost certainly need treatment to protect your teeth and jaws and help break the habit.

Awake Bruxism

This form of bruxism tends to be subconscious and may be linked to issues like stress or anger. You may not need professional dental care for awake bruxism, but you will need to take steps to prevent and manage this habit.

Bruxism Signs and Symptoms

Bruxism can cause visual signs that affect the appearance of your teeth. If you look at them, they may appear chipped and worn, so they look shorter than before. Your biting or incisal edges become more transparent due to wear and tear.

Teeth grinding and clenching can put pressure on your gums, causing them to recede. You may notice your tooth roots are now visible.

The pressure of clenching and grinding can loosen teeth. It can also affect your temporomandibular joints, which hinge your lower jaw to your skull. These joints can become increasingly inflamed and painful.

Other symptoms can include:

• Noticing your jaw clicks or pops when you move it.
• Opening and closing your jaw may be painful.
• Jaw pain can spread into your facial muscles.
• It can cause an earache or tinnitus.
• You may wake up with a severe headache that lasts all day.

What Causes Bruxism?

It’s difficult to identify why some people develop bruxism, but certain conditions can increase the risk of clenching and grinding your teeth. These include:

• Medications, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
• Sleep apnea, as there appears to be a connection between these two conditions.
• Feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed.
• Lifestyle habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, or consuming lots of caffeine.
• A misaligned bite, where teeth do not occlude or bite together properly.

If you suspect you may have bruxism, it’s best to get a diagnosis as soon as possible.

How Is Bruxism Diagnosed?

When you visit Dental Pearl, our dentist can perform a comprehensive dental exam and assess your teeth for signs of bruxism. We will ask about any symptoms you may have experienced and will assess your jaw joints.

We may recommend a cone beam CT scan so we can analyze your jaw joints more closely. This detailed 3-D image allows us to assess whether your temporomandibular joints are inflamed or worn.

Some people may also benefit from having a sleep study, and we may recommend this if we suspect you have sleep apnea. A sleep study is generally conducted in a clinic, where you stay overnight so your vital signs can be closely monitored.

Bruxism Treatments

The treatment recommended will depend on the severity of your bruxism and whether it is awake or sleep bruxism.

If you have awake bruxism, you may need to consciously relax your jaw to prevent clenching and grinding. We can teach you some simple techniques to help you place your jaw and achieve a more relaxed position. Alternatively, you may wish to have a custom-made mouthguard.

Custom-Made Mouthguard

A custom-made night splint or mouthguard is an effective way to treat sleep bruxism. Usually, the mouthguard fits over your upper teeth so that your upper and lower teeth cannot contact and clench or grind.

Wearing a mouthguard can also help protect your jaw joints, reducing inflammation and pain.

Botox Injections

Botox injections can be a useful approach in treating bruxism. Botox is carefully injected into your jaw muscles, helping them to relax while still ensuring you can’t move your jaw normally.

The result should last for several months, and some people find that this treatment helps break the habit and that they only require injections for a short while.

Bite Adjustments

If you have a misaligned bite, we may be able to adjust it. Sometimes the misalignment may be due to aging dental restorations, and replacing these can be enough to correct it. Other times, we may recommend orthodontics to realign your teeth and help break a bruxism habit.

Managing Stress Levels

If you suspect your bruxism is linked to stress, it’s worth trying to reduce or manage it. Some people find cognitive behavioural therapy useful, or use other methods such as meditation, exercise, or yoga.

Modifying Lifestyle Habits

Quitting smoking or trying to consume fewer alcoholic or caffeinated beverages may be helpful. Modifying these habits could also benefit dental and general health, especially smoking.

Self-Care Tips for Reducing Clenching and Grinding

If you have bruxism, then you will need professional treatment to resolve this issue, but there are other strategies you can try at home to help manage it. These include:

• Gentle exercise to stretch your jaw muscles (we can demonstrate some easy techniques to try).
• Using cold packs or moist heat packs held against your face to soothe and relax painful facial muscles.
• Practising good sleep hygiene and avoiding using screens or other stimulants before bedtime.
• Avoiding oral habits like nail biting, chewing hard objects like pencils, or chewing very hard foods like ice cubes or popcorn kernels.