Bruxism is the involuntary, habitual grinding of teeth, which can affect people when awake or sleeping. While bruxism isn’t a significant medical problem, severe cases can lead to jaw disorders and damaged teeth.
The most common causes of awake bruxism are stress, anxiety, and anger episodes, while sleep bruxism is usually caused by wakefulness.
This article explores the symptoms, causes, risk factors, and complications of bruxism, with advice on how to stop it.
Let’s jump in!
Bruxism causes
Bruxism is split into awake and sleep categories which have different causes. You might have one or the other or both.
The causes of awake bruxism are as follows:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Tension
- Frustration
- Sugar rush
- Caffeine intake
- Disorders like ADHD
And the causes of sleep bruxism are as follows:
- Wakefulness
- Bad dreams
- Abnormal bite
- Nocturnal panic/anxiety
Most bruxism is caused by anxiety and stress, which could be down to an anxiety disorder, new stress in your life, or medications.
If you consume lots of caffeine or sugar, you can also grind your teeth involuntarily, which is the most common cause of spontaneous bruxism.
Bruxism symptoms
People with bruxism grind their teeth and clench their jaw involuntarily, which usually produces a loud grinding and clattering noise. It is the most noticeable symptom when you are asleep or in stressful situations.
Sometimes, bruxism can damage the teeth, wear down the protective enamel, and increase sensitivity. If you have bruxism and sensitive teeth, it’s worth considering that teeth grinding could be behind the problem.
Another symptom of bruxism is jaw aches and soreness around the gums, especially when the jaw clenching and grinding are intense.
Awake bruxism can also cause sleep problems, with the grinding noise keeping you awake. It also works both ways, with sleep bruxism keeping other people awake.
Bruxism risk factors
These risk factors increase the risk of bruxism:
- Nervousness
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Aggressiveness
- Hyperactivity
- Neurological medications
- Illicit substances
- Alcohol consumption
- Family members with bruxism (genetics and learned behaviour)
- Other disorders, including ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder)
Bruxism complications
Bruxism is not a severe medical problem, but it can cause problems with your jaw, teeth, and mental health if it affects your life.
Here are the common complications of bruxism:
- Toothache and sensitive teeth
- Damage to tooth enamel
- Worn teeth
- Damage to fillings and crowns
- Damage to jaw muscles
- Disorders that affect the temporomandibular joints
- Tension-type headaches
Bruxism treatments
Bruxism usually goes away on its own, but if it is affecting your life, there are ways you can try to reduce its frequency and intensity.
Deal with stress and anxiety
Awake bruxism is not considered a chronic disorder – it is usually triggered by stress and anxiety, so resolving these can make it go away.
Stressful situations pass eventually, but if you have an anxiety disorder, this might require CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and medication.
Reduce caffeine and sugar intake
A leading cause of awake bruxism is high caffeine and sugar intake. Reducing your consumption of tea and coffee, energy drinks, chocolate, sweets, and foods in sweet sauces can eliminate bruxism overnight.
Sleep bruxism can also be caused by caffeine and sugar intake by promoting wakefulness, keeping you in light sleep rather than deep sleep.
Muscle relaxants
If you have severe sleep bruxism, your doctor may suggest taking muscle relaxant medication before bedtime for relief. Muscle relaxants can reduce jaw clenching and, in turn, the intensity of teeth grinding.
However, muscle relaxants only provide a short-term solution and are not recommended for continuous use after three nights.
Work on sleeping better
Sleep bruxism is usually caused by wakefulness, where you have frequent waking episodes and struggle to enter the deep sleep stage. This promotes jaw clenching and involuntarily teeth grinding, so it’s worth trying to sleep better.
Our article with 10 tips for better sleep has you covered. The most significant improvement is creating a sleep schedule and sticking to it.