You may find that you clench or grind your teeth, although most people who do, aren’t aware of it. Sometimes it can be caused by anxiety, but generally most people clench their teeth when they are concentrating on a task – housework, gardening, driving, typing and so on.
You may wake up in the morning with a stiff jaw or tenderness when you bite together. This could be due to clenching or grinding your teeth in your sleep. Most people who grind their teeth do it while they are asleep and may not know they are doing it.
Some signs of grinding include:
- Teeth that are heavily worn or constantly breaking, fillings that fracture or crowns that work loose may all be signs of occlusal problems. Your teeth may also be tender to bite on or may ache constantly.
- Clicking, grinding or pain in your jaw joints, ringing or buzzing in your ears and difficulty in opening or closing your mouth could all be due to your teeth not meeting each other properly.
- Continual headaches or migraine, especially first thing in the morning, pain behind your eyes, sinus pain and pains in your neck and shoulders. Sometimes even back muscles are involved.
If it is suspected that your problems are due to a heavy bite, we can supplying a hard plastic nightguard that fits over your upper or lower teeth to relieve the symptoms.