Clenching or grinding of the teeth (bruxism) is a common activity that can occur both during the day and at night.
Clenching or grinding (see Box to Right) while awake is especially common during periods of concentration, anger, or stress, and often occurs without a person being aware of it. Once a person is made aware of the habit, it can potentially be stopped or reduced by behavior modification.
Bruxism during sleep is very different from bruxism while awake. Sleep bruxism is not under a person’s conscious control and usually occurs throughout the night during periods of arousal as a person goes from a deeper stage of sleep to a lighter stage of sleep.
Most people probably grind and clench their teeth from time to time. Occasional teeth grinding, medically called bruxism, does not usually cause harm, but when teeth grinding occurs on a regular basis, the teeth can be damaged and other oral health complications can arise. Get your treatment for this with us.