Grinding Your Teeth at Night? How Bruxism Can Slowly Damage Your Smile

Teeth grinding is a very common problem. In fact, many people grind their teeth while sleeping, without even realizing it. 

Bruxism can lead to long-term dental damage when left untreated. That’s why regular dental visits are so important. Your dentist can identify the signs of this condition early and recommend the best strategies for addressing it.

Take a closer look at how grinding your teeth can take a toll on your smile over time and how your dentist in Virginia can help. 

What is bruxism?

Bruxism refers to repeatedly clenching your jaw and grinding your teeth. You may clench and grind your teeth together, either side to side or back and forth. This is a fairly common condition that affects over 20% of people globally. 

Grinding your teeth over and over isn’t good for them, so why do so many people do it?

Mental Stress

If you have a stressful job or many responsibilities at home, these worries can manifest in your teeth. The brain sends signals to your muscles to tense up when you’re under stress. The jaw is one of the first to be affected. In turn, stress often leads to jaw clenching and teeth grinding at night. 

Sleep Problems

Not getting enough sleep can increase your overall stress, which just leads to more clenching and grinding. Certain sleep disorders, like sleep apnea, make things even worse. 

Bite Misalignment

When your bite isn’t aligned correctly, certain jaw muscles can overcompensate for others, leading to clenching and grinding. 

Signs You May Be Grinding Your Teeth

How do you know if you’re grinding your teeth at night? Here are a few important signs to pay attention to. 

Worn, flattened, or chipped teeth: As you grind your teeth, the surface of each tooth becomes worn down. You may notice a flattened tooth surface or chips in your enamel. These signs are often more common in the back teeth, which take most of the tooth-on-tooth force when you grind and clench. 

Jaw pain: Waking up with a tight, sore jaw is a red flag for nighttime bruxism. This pain can radiate from your jaw to your inner ear. 

Morning headaches: Grinding your teeth at night is a quick route to tension headaches. The muscles in your jaw and neck can become tired from grinding and clenching, and this tension can spread and cause a headache.

Tooth sensitivity: Nighttime grinding is a common cause of sensitive teeth. Grinding wears down your enamel and exposes the more sensitive parts of your teeth, which causes pain when you eat or drink. 

Disrupted sleep: Nighttime grinding can wake you and even your partner up frequently. You might not realize it’s happening, but it’s hard to get deep, restful sleep if your mouth is in pain. 

Ask your partner if they hear clicking, grinding, or sliding noises coming from you while you sleep. 

How Bruxism Damages Your Smile Over Time

Bruxism can cause long-term dental damage, which you may not notice until symptoms become serious. For example, grinding your teeth wears away at your enamel, the protective coating that covers each tooth. 

This increases your risk of developing cavities, which then require fillings, root canals, or more extensive dental work. Bruxism can also cause tooth fractures and cracks in your teeth, which weaken the overall tooth structure and make your teeth vulnerable to breakage. 

Nighttime grinding puts excessive stress on your jaw joints, which fatigues them and causes chronic pain. The joints can’t handle this prolonged strain, and you may develop TMJ disorder as a result. 

The restorative dental work you need to correct these problems can be expensive and inconvenient. To avoid these types of treatments, you’ll need to address the root of the problem. 

How to Protect Your Teeth

Wondering how to stop grinding teeth at night? Luckily, with the right support, you can avoid many of the long-term dental issues that bruxism causes. 

Custom Nightguards

Nightguards provide a physical buffer between your top and bottom teeth to minimize the impact of grinding and clenching. Go with a custom-made nightguard from your dentist to make sure it fits your mouth properly. 

Stress Management

Reducing overall stress is a great way to prevent teeth grinding at night. Incorporate self-care activities into your daily routine to manage the stressors you face at work and home. This can look like journaling, deep breathing, meditation, or anything else that helps you decompress. 

Regular Dental Checkups 

Seeing your dentist regularly can protect against advanced-stage dental problems from bruxism. Frequent checkups allow your dentist to monitor your teeth for signs of wear and treat the problem accordingly. 

Get Help for Teeth Grinding From a Trusted Virginia Beach Dental Office

Bruxism can seem harmless, especially if your symptoms are mild, but you could be doing serious long-term damage to your teeth. If you want to protect your smile for years to come, the friendly team at King Dental can help. 

Our family dental clinic can help you treat your bruxism at the root and the unpleasant symptoms that come with it. Book a visit with us today, and we can help you find a solution that works for your needs.