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Teeth Grinding Stress
Sometimes we can convince ourselves that we are handling our stress and emotions until our bodies tell us otherwise. One tell for me is when I start grinding my teeth in my sleep. Recently I ground my teeth so hard in my sleep that I managed to crack a filling and part of my tooth. I’ve tried an over the counter mouth guard but it kept slipping and was uncomfortable. My dentist has given me the name of another one to try and if that doesn’t work I might have to consider the cost of having one professionally fitted.
Do you have a problem with grinding your teeth in your sleep and if so, have you tried using a mouth guard? Are there other ways that your body tells you that you’re not handling your stress and emotions as well as you think you might be?
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17 Replies
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I also grind my teeth often. My mom said I always have ground my teeth at night, even as a young kid. I have never tried any mouth guard although my dentist did suggest one, once. That was a few years ago, something I may need to revisit if the teeth grinding continues. For some reason, I have never thought of it as stress. I am definitely going to bring it up in my next therapy appointment. Very interesting, thanks, Colleen!
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I know that teeth grinding can be a HUGE reason why people will wake up with migraine headaches. Sometimes my jaw is tightly clenched during the day, especially during times of stress. This can lead to migraines or headaches that seem hard to get rid of. Mouth guards have helped people that I know at night with this and it would definitely be good to bring up to a therapist, Jen! Maybe it is something that is causing you to feel more stressed out at night? I know that personally I feel a lot of stress at night that made it hard for me to stay asleep sometimes. With sleep apnea and a lot of medical problems I have a fear of something happening in my sleep and me not being aware of it. That’s one of my biggest fears because I like to have control over things.
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Jen, it has been a problem for me since childhood as well. I always suspected that stress triggers it then when I got married my husband helped me make the connection. I don’t grind my teeth every night, it seems that I only do it when I’m stressed and worried about something or if I go to bed utterly exhausted.
My dentist could always tell by looking at my teeth that I grind them. Brittany, it definitely contributes to my migraines and just like you, I tend to clench my teeth throughout the day. I never thought I would grind them so bad that I would break a filling and tooth. That’s pretty bad! I now know I need to address this issue better than I have, yet I still haven’t gone to the store to buy the new guard.
Jen, I don’t have it on me right now but when I find the name of a guard that my dentist recommended I will share it with you.
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The migraines (any migraine) can be seriously debilitating. It’s hard when there is a lot of stress in life that we can’t always control and don’t have a lot of say in it. A tight jaw is something that I have been more mindful about since it was noticed. I actually first picked it up in myself when I did a meditation video. I will post a new topic and post the link for it there too so others can share if they have any good meditation or relaxation videos that they like.
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Thanks Brittany! I will look forward to viewing the video. I am made aware of when I’m clenching my jaw because eventually it starts aching, what I didn’t realize is that people can see that I’m doing it. My husband tries to help by telling me to relax my jaw whenever he notices that it’s clenched.
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I know what you mean. It bothers me when people notice things about myself or point it our when I’m under stress. I feel like people pointing out how stressed or anxious I seem just makes me even more stressed and anxious LOL But at the same time it could be a good thing when someone notices it because then we are more apt to pick it up in ourselves and notice these things.
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I did talk to my Therapist about the teeth grinding. She said it most likely is due from stress. I know that around the time it started, my parents were in the process of divorce. As you mention, Colleen, I don’t always grind my teeth now but I do at times.
I think it’s interesting that you both mention jaw clenching as tend to do that, often while waiting for some medical appointments. My hubby usually notices before I do as well. Like Brittany, calling me out causes me more stress and anxiety.
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Jen,
I’m sorry all of that caused you so much stress. I know that it is terrible and can feel tough when people notice these signs of anxiety in us, but it also helps in a way so that we can become more self aware and catch ourselves doing it. Self regulation has been really helpful for me especially with all the appointments and follow ups I’ve been having lately. -
So true Brittany, self-awareness and therapy are helping me work on these things. I know my hubby isn’t being rude, it’s just the fact that I have always tried to hide these things and when he notices, I realize I’m doing it more.
I never realized so many people had issues with teeth grinding @colleensteele. Breaking a tooth sounds horrible. I’m a baby when it comes to tooth pain. Hehe
I wanted to add that my Therapist mentioned that some medications also can be the cause of teeth grinding. None of my medications, but she did mention ADD, ADHD, and other psych meds.
I found this link about teeth grinding, I find the mention of night teeth grinding and sleep apnea of breathing issues interesting. Check it out.
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Thanks for sharing that article Jen! I didn’t know that teeth grinding and clenching is considered a condition and that they have a name for it! Very interesting. When I cracked my filling and broke my tooth from teeth grinding I was amazed that I didn’t feel any pain nor did I when my dentist repaired it. He didn’t even have to numb me! He said that people who grind their teeth don’t experience as much nerve pain because the nerves have toughened up and have a higher level of tolerance because of the constant pressure from the teeth grinding. I’m not sure that it’s a good thing because it might set me up for infection or a larger problem because I’m not feeling the pain at it’s earlier stage. The only reason I knew I broke a tooth and filling is because the jagged edge was cutting into my gum.
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I don’t usually mind if my husband tells me…unless he is the one causing me stress, LOL! It does trigger migraines so I would rather be reminded to relax. However, my boys sometimes tease me about it, “What are you doing with your jaw?” Again, I know they are just having fun with me so I don’t mind, except that it means others probably notice too. It makes me feel self-conscious.
It’s interesting that we all have the same problem. Someone on the PH news facebook page commented on this topic that they have broken several teeth from grinding them in their sleep. Apparently our problem is more common than we might have thought.
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I don’t usually mind if my husband tells me…unless he is the one causing me stress, LOL! It does trigger migraines so I would rather be reminded to relax. However, my boys sometimes tease me about it, “What are you doing with your jaw?” Again, I know they are just having fun with me so I don’t mind, except that it means others probably notice too. It makes me feel self-conscious.
It’s interesting that we all have the same problem. Someone on the PH news facebook page commented on this topic that they have broken several teeth from grinding them in their sleep. Apparently our problem is more common than we might have thought.
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Ouffff that just made me cringe about grinding teeth so hard that you break a tooth! That must be painful. Chipped teeth from just biting into something too hard causes pain, nevermind cracking them because of grinding, especially if you wake up like that from it happening in your sleep. I’d end up worrying that I was going to swallow a tooth! Hopefully that person now has a mouth guard or something for better protection now that they know what’s going on.
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Sorry to hear that so many of you are dealing with stress. I’ve been having a good deal of jaw pain lately. I was concerned that it could be a side effect of my Prolia medication. Now I wonder if I could be grinding my teeth. Short of breaking a tooth is there a way to know for sure? It’s always something, isn’t it.
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Good question, Janet. Not sure if there would be a way to know this for sure or not. I think sometimes something like a chipped tooth or other signs of teeth grinding like jagged edges on your teeth or tooth pain might happen. I would bring this up to your doctors at your next appointment. Maybe there is a way for them to evaluate this for you. I would also suggest keeping track of when you take the meds and when you feel the pain in your jaw and see if there is any connection that you notice.
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Sorry, Janet that you’re having an issue with your jaw. I would ask my dentist about these issues. Jaw pain can also be from certain PH medications. Once you have that type of jaw pain, you know that’s what the Pharmacist described.
I know for myself that my dentist could tell that I grind my teeth by examining them. Another common issue that causes jaw pain is TMJ, also something that your dentist would check for.
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Janet, your dentist can easily tell if you are grinding your teeth in your sleep just by looking at them. Maybe you are also clenching your jaw during the day? It’s possible the jaw pain can be both a side effect of your medication and teeth grinding or clenching. I’m sorry that you are experiencing this too.
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