What Causes Teeth Clenching & Grinding?

Most people probably clench and grind their teeth at times. This condition is medically known as bruxism. Occasional teeth grinding doesn’t usually harm anyone. However, when bruxism becomes a habit or occurs regularly, it can damage your teeth and cause several other oral health complications.

Jaw clenching and teeth grinding are often related to anxiety or stress. In fact, most people who have this habit are not even aware they are suffering from it. This is because it often happens when the person is under stress or during sleep.

That said, let’s discuss the causes of teeth grinding.

Causes Of Teeth Grinding

It is not always clear why you are suffering from bruxism. But it’s often linked to various factors, such as sleep problems, anxiety, or stress.

Stress and anxiety

Teeth grinding is mostly caused by stress or anxiety, and not many people know that they do it. This is because bruxism mostly happens when a person is sleeping. Stress causes bruxism by increasing adrenaline. This mobilizes energy in the body and can cause teeth to grind when you aren’t moving your body. Besides bruxism, stress can also disrupt your sleep, causing sleep-related disorders, such as insomnia.

Sleep disorders

Various sleep disorders can also cause bruxism. For example, if you snore or have obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), there’s a high chance that you grind your teeth while sleeping.
There’s a high probability that you grind your teeth if you experience the following conditions:

• Talk while asleep
• Kick or punch while asleep
• Experience sleep paralysis (temporary inability to move or speak while waking up)
• Have hallucinations (hear or see things that are not real)

Medicines

Teeth grinding may occur as a side effect of taking certain medicines, like antidepressants.

Lifestyle

Certain lifestyle choices can also cause bruxism. This includes:

• Smoking
• Consuming alcohol
• Excessive caffeine intake
• Using recreational drugs

Symptoms of grinding

Symptoms of teeth grinding or bruxism are:

• Headaches
• Facial pain
• Earache
• Disrupted sleep
• Broken or worn out teeth
• Stiffness and pain in the jaw and surrounding muscles

Tooth damage may only occur in severe cases. If you experience this symptom, please visit Cypress Dentistry immediately.

When to see a dentist or GP

You may visit your dentist if:

• You have damage, sensitive, or worn out teeth
• Your face, ear, or jaw is painful
• Your partner tells you to snore or make a grinding sound while sleeping

Your dentist will evaluate your jaw and teeth for signs of bruxism. You may require to undergo dental treatment if there’s a chance of infection or dental abscess due to worn-out teeth.
You should also see a general physician if your teeth grinding is due to stress. They will help you manage your stress.

Treating teeth grinding

Various treatments can treat teeth grinding. For instance, wearing a mouthguard can be really helpful. It reduces the sensation of grinding or clenching your teeth. A mouth guard protects your teeth and prevents tooth wear as well as pain and other damage.

Other treatments of bruxism include sleep hygiene and muscle relaxation exercises. And if you have stress or anxiety-related bruxism, your doctor may recommend cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).