Teeth grinding is a common issue, often related to stress or anxiety. When your body experiences stress, and it isn’t released through other methods, you may start unconsciously clenching and grinding your teeth.
The good news is that teeth grinding is often straightforward to treat. It’s important not to ignore it, though, as constant grinding can cause damage to your teeth long-term. If you’re aware that you’re grinding your teeth, here are some of the things that could be causing it, and how to treat it.
What Causes Teeth Grinding?
It’s not always clear why teeth grinding might be happening. However, the most common cause of teeth grinding is stress and/or anxiety.
If you have a stressful job or something else in your life that weighs heavily on your mind, that stress manifests in your body. That stress must come out somehow, and if it isn’t relieved in other ways – like through exercise or meditation, for example – it might force its way out through clenching or grinding your teeth. You might not even be aware you’re doing it.
Teeth grinding may not always be a sign of stress, however. If you are dealing with sleep problems like snoring or sleep apnoea, this could cause you to grind your teeth. If you drink a lot of caffeinated or alcoholic drinks, for example, that could also bring on teeth grinding.
How to Stop Teeth Grinding
The first step to stopping grinding your teeth is to identify what might be causing it. It’s most likely to be stress or anxiety-related, so take a moment to think about what might be going on in your life to cause you stress. Remember, you might not always be aware of being stressed – you might have grown used to it over time – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t present.
If you think it could be stress-related, here are some things to try:
- Jaw Exercises: Release tension in your jaw by doing regular exercises. This could involve mime-chewing, or gently manipulating your jaw with your hands, or manipulating your masseter muscles (they’re the hard muscles just in front of your ears on either side of your face). Your local dentist will be able to advise you on the best exercises to do.
- Consciously Unclench Your Teeth and Jaw: Often, you might be clenching your jaw without realising it. Set yourself regular reminders to unclench your jaw, to train it back into a relaxed position by default.
- Take up new Stress-Relief Exercises: This doesn’t have to be strenuous! Even just a brisk walk, or following a free guided meditation on YouTube, is enough to help your body release stress in a healthy way. Cardiovascular exercises, like running or circuit training, or anything to get your blood pumping, are also a brilliant way to release endorphins and relieve stress.
In the short term, you could try getting a grinding guard fitted. Grinding guards, often made of a mouldable plastic, keep your teeth away from each other and stop you from grinding them. They take some getting used to, but they are a great way of protecting your teeth from any further damage. For teeth that have already been worn down from grinding, our teeth whitening service in Townsville can help restore a brighter, and more confident smile.
So, think you might be grinding your teeth? Just ask your dentist at your next checkup. They will be able to tell just by looking at your teeth whether you might be grinding them, assess any potential damage, and advise on the best course of action.
If you could use any friendly advice on teeth grinding or any other teeth-related issues, just get in touch with us today.
