Ever felt pain in your teeth and jaw when you wakes up in the morning? If yes then you might be grinding your teeth the whole night which is called Bruxism. You may be unconsciously clenching your teeth when you are awake or grinding while sleeping.

Symptoms

• Teeth grinding or clenching which may be loud enough to wake up your sleep partner.
• Teeth that are flattened, fractured or chipped.
• Tight jaw muscles/jaw pain
• Dull headache, earache
• Sleep disruption

Complications

• In most cases bruxism doesn’t cause serious complications but severe bruxism may lead to-
• Damage to your teeth, fillings, crowns and jaws.
• Tension type headache.
• Severe facial/jaw pain which is also known as myofacial pain dysfunction syndrome ( MPDS).
• Disorders that occurs in TMJ, located just in front of your ears which may sound like clicking when you open and close your mouth.

Causes

It may be due to combination of physical, psychological and genetic factors. It gets aggravated by emotions such as anxiety, stress, anger and frustration. It can be associated with some mental health and medical disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia, GERD, epilepsy, night terrors, sleep related disorders such as sleep apnea and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders.

Treatments

• Mouth guards – These are designed to keep teeth separated to avoid damage caused by clenching and grinding, and distribute the occlusal forces in a balanced way.
• Muscle relaxants-  In some cases your doctor may suggest taking it for short period  of time.
• In extreme cases steroids can be injected for relief in muscle pain and headaches or migraines.