All You Need to Know about Teeth Grinding

A common sign of teeth grinding is waking up with a sore jaw. You might also experience fractures to the teeth or premature wearing down to the chewing surface.

In this guide, we’re looking at the causes and impact of teeth grinding and what you need to know to help prevent it. We’ll also explore some possible treatment avenues to help you to overcome this issue.

What causes teeth grinding?

Grinding your teeth is also known as bruxism. There are lots of reasons you might grind your teeth at night, including:

- Stress and anxiety.

- Medications

- Issues with your jaw alignment

- Sleep disorders

- Excessive caffeine or alcohol consumption

- Recreational drug use

Why is teeth grinding bad for the teeth?

Teeth grinding can wear down your delicate enamel, leading to sensitive teeth or development of cavities. More serious effects of tooth grinding include chipped teeth, fractures and gum inflammation or damage. Tooth loss can follow if the issue persists.

You might also experience pain and discomfort as a result of teeth grinding. Your jaw might ache in the morning and you might experience persistent dental pain due to damage to your teeth and jaw bone.

It can also cause teeth to move out of alignment. If you had braces when you were younger, you might find that your retainer is unable to work correctly due to your teeth grinding. You might also find that alignment issues become more severe.

What can be done for teeth grinding?

If you grind your teeth, see your dentist as soon as possible to prevent any long-term damage. It can be difficult to know if you grind your teeth, as you are asleep when you do it. You might rely on a helpful partner letting you know that you are grinding your teeth while you sleep. Otherwise, your dentist might spot the telltale signs of teeth grinding during a routine checkup.

To address teeth grinding, we need to find the underlying cause. If your teeth grinding is linked to stress or anxiety, you’re unlikely to find an instant solution for this. This is why your dentist might recommend protecting your teeth in the meantime.

A custom mouthguard can be worn while you sleep. This will help to absorb some of the pressure of your bite and prevent your teeth from grinding against each other. Some people find that wearing a mouthguard helps to correct their jaw alignment when they sleep, and this helps to stop the teeth grinding.

It’s also possible to have Botox injections in the jaw to help alleviate the symptoms of teeth grinding. This procedure forces the muscles in the jaw to relax, which makes teeth grinding less likely.

Getting to the heart of the problem

It’s often a case of trial and error when it comes to solving bruxism. You might need to try mindfulness exercises to help tackle stress and anxiety. Or it might be indicated that you need to cut out coffee or alcohol to help stop the issue. Avoiding using recreational drugs is often an instant fix for bruxism caused by this lifestyle choice.

In some cases, we never find the underlying issue and it’s simply a case of managing the condition when it flares up. You would also need to visit the dentist regularly to look for signs of damage as a result of your teeth grinding.

If you’re worried about the potential impact of teeth grinding on your oral health, book an appointment with our dental team. We can look for signs of damage and offer recommendations to help you manage this condition.