What is Bruxism?
Bruxism is the medical term for teeth grinding or clenching, which is essentially repeated action of the jaw muscle. For diagnosis and treatment, bruxism is usually separated into grinding and clenching that occurs while awake versus asleep. Both can cause a wide variety of symptoms, including pain and dental problems.
Awake Bruxism
This type of bruxism occurs during waking hours and can be connected to stress or negative emotions. In many cases, daytime bruxism can be treated with behavioral modifications since there are ways to work on noticing and stopping grinding and clenching while you are awake. In some cases, more vigorous treatments might be needed in addition to stress relief strategies.
Sleep Bruxism
Sleep Bruxism happens while you are asleep and is more difficult or impossible to treat with self-regulation. In most cases, when symptoms are significant, medical or dental intervention can help address sleep bruxism. It is often diagnosed based on tooth wear, waking with headaches, or a sleep partner noticing the grinding.
