Teeth Grinding at Night: How to Tell, and What It Costs You

Bruxism — clenching or grinding the teeth, usually during sleep — generates forces several times higher than normal chewing, sustained for far longer. Because it happens unconsciously, the first sign is often damage rather than symptoms.

How to tell

• Jaw ache or headache on waking, particularly around the temples.
• Teeth that look flattened across the biting edges, or front teeth that have become shorter and squarer.
• Increasing sensitivity as enamel thins.
• Small vertical cracks visible in the enamel of the front teeth.
• A ridge along the inside of your cheek, or scalloped indentations along the sides of your tongue.
• Fillings or crowns that keep breaking or coming loose.
• Clicking or locking of the jaw joint.
• Someone telling you that you make a grinding noise at night.

Why it happens

Stress and anxiety are the most common drivers, and it tends to worsen during difficult periods. Sleep-disordered breathing, including obstructive sleep apnoea, is strongly associated — grinding can be part of the body's response to an airway that partially closes. Other contributors include caffeine and alcohol late in the day, some medications including certain antidepressants, smoking, and a bite where the teeth do not meet evenly.

What it damages

Enamel does not regrow, so wear is cumulative and permanent. Severe long-term grinding can shorten teeth visibly, change the lower third of the face, expose dentine across whole biting surfaces, crack teeth, cause chronic jaw joint pain, and destroy expensive restorations. People frequently discover it after a crown fractures for the second time.

Treatment

There is no cure for the habit itself, but the damage is entirely preventable.

• A custom night guard is the mainstay. A hard acrylic splint made from impressions of your own teeth takes the force instead of your enamel. It does not stop the grinding; it makes it harmless.
• Not a shop-bought boil-and-bite guard — these are soft, which can encourage more chewing activity, and a poor fit can shift teeth over time.
• Stress management — genuinely effective for many people, though harder to prescribe.
• Bite adjustment or orthodontics where an uneven bite is contributing.
• A sleep study if you also snore, wake unrefreshed or have witnessed pauses in breathing.
• Rebuilding worn teeth with crowns or composite, once the grinding is protected against — not before, or the new work breaks too.

Children

Grinding is common in children and usually outgrown as the permanent teeth come through. It rarely needs treatment unless there is visible wear or the child complains of jaw pain. Mention it at a check-up rather than worrying about it.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a night guard cost?

A custom hard acrylic guard made from your impressions costs considerably more than a shop-bought version and lasts years. We confirm the cost at the consultation, after checking whether a guard is the right answer for your pattern of wear.

Will a night guard stop me grinding?

No, and it is not meant to. It absorbs the force so your teeth do not. Many people also find their morning jaw ache improves, because the guard slightly changes how the jaw muscles work.

Can Botox be used for teeth grinding?

Injections into the masseter muscle are used in some severe cases to reduce clenching force. It is not a first-line treatment and does not replace protecting the teeth.

Does grinding cause receding gums?

It contributes. Heavy grinding forces flex the tooth at the gumline, which can accelerate recession and the wedge-shaped notches often blamed entirely on hard brushing.

Talk to a dentist in Dehradun