It’s nice to start the day feeling fresh, well rested, and ready to go. But waking up to a sudden earache or unexpected headache? Not nice at all.
But did you know that waking up to pain might be a sign of teeth grinding or jaw clenching?
Symptoms like a throbbing jaw, headaches, sensitive teeth, and even an earache could mean you’re grinding your teeth in your sleep. But with the right preventative measures and professional treatment, you’ll be able to sleep peacefully through the night without worrying about grinding your teeth.
But what is teeth grinding and jaw clenching? And how do you treat it?
We’ll go over everything you need to know about the condition and how you can find help for your pain.
What is teeth grinding?
Grinding or gnashing your teeth is known as bruxism. And you might not even know you’re doing it – especially if you suffer from sleep bruxism (grinding or clenching at night). But when you grind your teeth together, whether it’s in your sleep or while you’re awake, you’re causing damage to your jaw and your pearly whites.
What is jaw clenching?
Jaw clenching is another word to describe teeth grinding (and it’s another symptom of bruxism). It’s when you involuntarily clench your jaw, causing your teeth to gnash together. This often causes facial pain, or pain in your jaw muscles.
Why does bruxism develop?
Bruxism or sleep bruxism can come about because of stress, anxiety, depression, and even a few genetic factors. Some other reasons people develop sleep or awake bruxism include:
- Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders
- Lifestyle habits like smoking or the use of recreational drugs
- Certain medications, like those used to treat ADHD, depression, and anxiety
There are a lot of reasons why people develop bruxism, but did you know it’s actually more common for teens and children to grind their teeth? This is because they’re more likely to have unaligned teeth or an improper bite while their molars are still growing.
What happens if you don’t treat bruxism?
Untreated bruxism can put a lot of strain on your teeth and jaw, often leading to a plethora of issues including:
- Tooth pain
- Jaw discomfort
- Sore jaw joints from popping
- Damaged teeth (including worn tooth enamel)
- Headaches
- Earaches
- Neck aches
- Shoulder pain
- Wear and tear and damage to the jaw joint
If you’re already experiencing any of these symptoms and think bruxism might be the culprit, it might be time to ask a dental care professional to take a look.
How is bruxism diagnosed?
If you suspect that you might be grinding your teeth in your sleep, then visit your health care provider or dentist right away. Dentists can also pick up signs of bruxism during routine examinations, which is why it’s important to book in for regular checks.
Usually, a dentist will diagnose bruxism based on your symptoms, and they often do a detailed physical exam to see how severe the case is. For instance, with severe bruxism, the symptoms might be more obvious like tooth erosion and loose or cracked teeth.
Dentists might also conduct a sleep study or overnight tests to get a clearer picture of what’s happening to your teeth or jaw while you’re asleep. This allows them to figure out whether you have sleep bruxism, or you’re suffering from daytime clenching and teeth grinding.
How is bruxism treated?
It might sound easy to simply stop grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw – but it’s actually quite difficult, especially if it happens in your sleep.
But there are a few ways you can help reduce teeth grinding and prevent damage or further harm to your teeth and jaw. Reducing stress, getting more sleep, and using preventative mouthguards are all tactics you can try to lessen the effects of teeth grinding. Here are a few more:
- Practice mindfulness and stress reduction techniques
- Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol heavily
- Build a healthy sleep routine
- Use mouthguards or splints to keep teeth separated and prevent damage
- Do daily jaw exercises recommended by a dentist to strengthen jaw muscles and ease tension
- Consider Botox injections to help reduce teeth grinding
- Ask your dentist to treat any dental damage before it gets worse
How can a jaw splint or occlusal splint help prevent bruxism?
A great way to help prevent damage to your teeth is by using splints like a jaw splint or an occlusal splint. Here’s how:
Jaw splints
These help position the jaw in a way that makes it impossible for you to grind your teeth, preventing tooth wear, reducing jaw tension, and helping you stop clenching while you sleep. If clenching or is damaging your teeth or waking you up with a sore jaw, a jaw splint might be the solution for you.
Occlusal splint
This splint is the perfect treatment for a patient who grinds their teeth from side to side. Grinding like this wears down the front teeth and the molar caps, but an occlusal splint prevents contact and stops nighttime grinding, protecting teeth from damage.
S4S Sleep Clench Inhibitor (SCI)
We’ve found that one of the best occlusal splints to fight against bruxism is with the Sleep Clench Inhibitor (SCi & SCi+). Compared to a traditional splint it’s much smaller and completely tailor made to you.
The S4S is worn nightly and acts as a barrier to prevent dental arches from clashing. Thanks to this barrier, you’ll see a reduction in clenching and experience less tension which means less migraine, jaw pain and neck pain!
What are the benefits of S4S?
- Can reduce jaw pain and headaches
- Helps stop teeth grinding while sleeping
- Mouth guard fabrication only takes 20 minutes
- Scientifically proven efficacy
Chat to our dental team for more information about the Sleep Clench Inhibitor.
Suffering from jaw pain? It might be bruxism!
If you’re suffering from jaw pain or other symptoms of bruxism, you’re far from alone – and treatment can help. Now is the time to book in with your dentist so they can assess your case and help fix any dental damage you may have sustained.
We offer free consultations for people with jaw pain, so get checked today to see if you’re secretly grinding your teeth at night! Call our caring team at 0161 773 7080 or book online here.
🦷🤫 Thinking about whiter teeth for the holidays? This November and December get £100 off boutique whitening! That’s £395 down to £295.