Bruxism: Why Do I Grind My Teeth?

It is a medical condition known as bruxism, and it usually affects people in their sleep. You have bruxism if you grind your teeth or clench your jaw when you are sleeping. Since you are unconscious at the time, you are unable to control it. It can also be an issue throughout the day – although this is usually just jaw clenching.

Grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw might not sound like a big deal, but when you remember that your jaw is capable of exerting up to 125 kg of force in a single bite, it’s easy to see why this might lead to some problems throughout the day. It can cause jaw and neck pain, damage your teeth and impact your quality of sleep.

But what causes people to grind their teeth?

Causes of Bruxism

There is no exact answer as to what causes people to grind their teeth. As it is largely a subliminal action, most of the possible causes are psychological.

Stress

Anxiety

Sleep disorder

Side effects of certain medications

Lifestyle factors

Stress and anxiety are seen as a major factor in teeth grinding. This is in part due to the fact that stress can cause sleep disruption, which bruxism is commonly related to. It goes without saying that when someone is worried or anxious this can affect their ability to relax, which has a knock-on effect on sleep quality.

Likewise if someone already displays some sort of sleep disorder, such as snoring, sleep apnoea or sleep talking they are more likely to grind their teeth. You might need to visit a sleep clinic to get to the bottom of your sleep issues.

As with many other issues, lifestyle factors can also play a part in bruxism. The energy boost that many people enjoy with their cup of coffee can be a factor in teeth grinding if multiple cups (more than six) are consumed on a daily basis. Simply cutting back on caffeine could help you to enjoy a more restful night’s sleep.

Drinking alcohol, smoking and using recreational drugs have all also been shown to be a possible cause of some cases of bruxism.

Teeth grinding can also affect children, although this is generally linked to the arrival of baby teeth and later adult teeth. It’s important to address this quickly with children, as it could impact the development of their adult teeth.

What are the most common symptoms of bruxism?

As mentioned above, bruxism occurs at night while you are sleeping, so you won’t be aware when you are doing it. Your partner may notice it if the sound keeps them awake, but it’s often the symptoms that you experience during the day that are the giveaway.

Common symptoms of bruxism include:

A sore jaw or neck

Aching sensation in your teeth and roots

More frequent fractures and cracks on your teeth

Some of these signs will only be visible to your dentist, which is another reason that it helps to visit the dentist regularly. It’s often your dentist that will tell you that you suffer from bruxism.

What is the treatment for bruxism?

Since bruxism is secondary to other conditions, we have to find the cause and then tackle this. If you recognise that you are suffering from stress and anxiety, the first step in combating bruxism will be to deal with those underlying issues.

Identifying the cause of stress will be helpful and then working on making changes, if possible, to ease the pressure. The NHS suggests a number of ways to try to combat the effects of stress. If you are struggling with anxiety or stress it may be worth contacting a medical professional for help.

They might be able to recommend some stress-busting activities like yoga or meditation to help you limit your stress response. As a last resort, you might be offered medication to help you calm down at night time.

Next, we can look at ways to protect the teeth from damage while you get your bruxism under control. There are a few ways to achieve this:

Botox injections

You might be surprised to learn that Botox injections can help with bruxism. This is commonly used for getting rid of wrinkles, but its function is to temporarily paralyse nerves. This means it can be used to relax the muscles in the jaw, leading to a temporary relief of your nighttime jaw grinding. Thankfully, your dentist can provide this service.

Mouth guards

A mouth guard is a plastic appliance that fits over your teeth and protects them while you are sleeping. Mouth guards to protect the teeth can also be made in consultation with your dentist. While this won’t remove the cause, it will provide cushioning to protect your teeth. The pressure of your bite is absorbed by the mouth guard rather than your teeth. This can also help to prevent fractures and excessive wear and tear to the biting surface of your teeth.

Next steps for bruxism patients

If you are concerned about the effects of bruxism get in touch with Bhandal Dental Surgery. We can help you to get to the heart of the issue and then offer recommendations for ensuring that your bruxism doesn’t cause damage to your teeth.

If you are already facing damage due to grinding your teeth at night, we can help to restore your teeth with treatments like composite bonding and crowns.