Expressions such as ‘keep going’ and ‘choose each other’ exist for a reason. The unconscious habit of tensing muscles when stressed can lead to teeth grinding, or the forceful sliding of your teeth. People usually do this unconsciously in their sleep.
Causes of teeth grinding
To know how to tackle teeth grinding, it is important to be aware of the possible causes. Both teeth grinding and jaw clenching (both known as bruxism) are caused by (a combination of) the following factors. That explains Bert Leentvaar, orofacial jaw physiotherapist at Kaakfysio.
- The unconscious habit of tense musclesjust as you often do not realize that you are sitting with your shoulders raised.
- Emotion and fatigue.
- The use of medicines and stimulants. Some medicines and resources increase the restlessness and tension of the chewing muscles. Think of alcohol, speed, cocaine.
- Disturbed sleep. Sleep consists of a number of phases that, if all goes well, follow each other gradually and smoothly. This does not go well with disturbed sleep. Then someone goes back and forth for a while between deep sleep and REM sleep, the phase in which you dream. Teeth grinding and jaw clenching have been shown to occur mainly during the transitional period of sleep. And a longer transition means: longer clamping.
- Foreign objects in the mouth. Think of the unconscious habit of sucking on a tongue piercing or playing with it in the mouth.
- Diseases like Parkinson’s disease.
Vicious circle
A lot of research is currently being done into the possible other causes of teeth grinding. Stress in particular has a major influence. And different factors reinforce each other. Bert Leentvaar, orofacial jaw physiotherapist at Kaakfysio: “You sleep worse when you are under stress. Your fatigue increases, your general resilience decreases – you can tolerate less physically and mentally – and your need for medication and other resources can increase. As a result, you sleep worse, which in turn affects how emotionally you feel.”
This is how you stop grinding your teeth
And then of course the most important question: how do you stop grinding your teeth? Addressing underlying stress is perhaps the most important factor. “A quiet, rippling life helps,” says Leentvaar.
Sleep well
He emphasizes the importance of good sleep. “Prepare quietly for the night. Do not do any physically or mentally strenuous tasks an hour before bedtime, do not drink coffee, tea and alcohol in the evening. And especially avoid screens (television, computers, iPads, telephones) in the last hour before going to sleep. The light from these screens stimulates the production of cortisol, the hormone we need to wake up. The so-called night mode of a screen, in which the color of the light is changed, has only a limited influence on this.”
Other possible solutions to stop teeth grinding
- In general, limit the use of stimulants.
- Care for a good condition.
- Do as necessary relaxation exercises for the jaw, neck and shoulder muscles and stretching exercises for the chewing muscles. An (orofacial) physiotherapist can help with this.
Leentvaar does have an important addition: “Do not treat complaints such as a morning headache or earache due to grinding your teeth too much with painkillers such as paracetamol or stronger. Long-term use of these drugs can lead to a different kind of headache.”
Special bits
Good solutions for the long term, but are you still grinding your teeth in the meantime? Then there are special bits (splints or bite plates) to limit dental damage. This reduces the pressure on the temporomandibular joint. “The condition is that the mouthguard is properly fitted, for example by the dentist, and that it is made of hard plastic,” says Leentvaar. “There are also soft bits, but most people chew on them in their sleep, which increases clenching.”
A mouthguard is sometimes reimbursed from the additional dental insurance, but that depends on the policy. The insurer can provide a definite answer about this.
Dental damage
The importance of such a mouthguard is shown by the serious consequences that grinding teeth can have in the long term. Leentvaar: “Everyone grinds or clenches sometimes. A weekend full of parties disrupts the entire system. In the recovery period, sleep is poorer, often not so much the length of the sleep as the quality of it. If all goes well, that will pass and the body can handle it just fine.”
He continues: “Damage of teeth occurs with prolonged clenching and grinding, and is both visible in the form of worn or broken teeth and invisible in the form of root tip infections.”
Headache and earache
In the short term, morning headaches are especially annoying, which are caused by increased muscle tension in the chewing muscles. This concerns both the thick masseter muscle in the cheek and the large, flat masseter muscle that is on the side of the head and extends from the temple to above the ear. Teeth grinding also increases the tension of the neck muscles. You can also get an earache from grinding.
It is clear: relaxation is so important in our lives.
There are more and more products on the market that promise better sleep. So is pillow spray. In the video below you can see if it works.