Teeth Grinding (Bruxism): Causes, Treatment, Whole-Body View
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Last Updated
October 1, 2026
Why a night guard protects your teeth without ever stopping the grinding — and what actually does.
Teeth grinding (bruxism) is the unconscious grinding or clenching of the teeth, most often during sleep, and is usually linked to stress, disturbed sleep, lifestyle factors or an uneven bite. What helps is protecting the teeth with a custom hard splint, easing the drivers behind the habit and, for stubborn cases, masseter treatment. We assess and treat bruxism at our Islington clinic.
Visible Signs & Symptoms
Bruxism is the clinical name for grinding or clenching the teeth. It is common, and for many people it is occasional and harmless. It becomes worth treating when it is frequent or forceful enough to wear the teeth, strain the jaw, disturb sleep or cause headaches.
Two forms of bruxism
Sleep bruxism happens at night, without awareness. The jaw can generate far more force during unconscious grinding than you could apply deliberately while awake, which is why night grinding causes most of the serious wear. A partner who hears it is often the first to mention it.
Awake bruxism is usually clenching rather than grinding: a daytime habit tied to concentration, stress or tension, with the jaw held tight at a screen or in traffic. At rest, the lips should be together and the teeth slightly apart. Many people are surprised by how often their teeth are touching.
Signs you may be grinding
- A partner hears grinding at night
- Jaw muscles that ache or feel tired on waking
- Dull morning headaches around the temples
- Teeth that look worn, flattened, chipped or shorter than they were
- Increased sensitivity as enamel thins
- A jaw that feels stiff or sore, or that clicks
- Scalloped indentations along the sides of the tongue
- A squarer jawline over time as the masseter muscle enlarges
- Earache with no infection, or broken, unrefreshing sleep
No single sign is a diagnosis, but several together suggest bruxism worth assessing. A dentist can often confirm it from the wear pattern on the teeth before you have noticed any damage yourself. A simple daytime check is to notice where your teeth are through the day; if you repeatedly catch them touching or clenched, noticing it is the first step in changing it.
Clinical Root Causes
There is rarely a single cause. For most people, grinding is the meeting point of several factors, and easing any one of them lowers the overall load on the jaw.
Stress and the nervous system
Stress, anxiety and frustration are the most consistent thread. The jaw is one of the body’s main holding places for tension, and for many people grinding rises and falls with what is happening in their life. Beneath day-to-day stress sits the nervous system itself: when it stays in a “fight or flight” state from ongoing pressure or poor sleep, the jaw muscles are often part of that pattern. This is why bruxism so often resists treatment aimed only at the teeth. We explore this further in jaw clenching and stress.
Sleep and the airway
Night grinding tends to cluster around the brief arousals that fragment sleep, and there is a recognised overlap with obstructive sleep apnoea. Anyone who grinds heavily, snores loudly and wakes unrefreshed should see their GP, because a possible airway problem needs medical assessment rather than a mouthguard alone. Our snoring and sleep apnoea guide explains the difference.
Bite
An uneven bite can set the jaw searching for a comfortable position. Its role is now seen as one contributor among several rather than the whole story, but it is real and worth assessing.
Lifestyle and medication
Caffeine, alcohol, smoking and recreational drugs all raise grinding, as can some medicines, including certain antidepressants. If you suspect a medicine is involved, speak to your GP before changing anything.
For most adults the honest picture is a combination: a stressful season, less sleep than they need, perhaps a coffee habit and a bite that does not quite meet evenly. Naming the contributors is the first practical step.
The damage chronic grinding causes
Grinding is gradual and usually painless at first, so it often goes unaddressed until the damage is visible. Left unchecked over years, it takes a steady toll.
- Tooth wear. Grinding flattens and shortens the biting surfaces. Once enamel is lost, the softer dentine beneath wears faster and the process accelerates.
- Cracks and breakages. Repeated force fractures teeth and breaks down existing fillings and crowns.
- Sensitivity as dentine is exposed.
- Jaw muscle and joint strain, which over time can contribute to jaw pain and TMJ disorder.
- Headaches, classically on waking, from an overworked temple muscle.
Wear that has already happened cannot be reversed, but further damage is largely preventable. The earlier grinding is recognised and the teeth are protected, the less restorative work is likely to be needed later. Any repairs that are needed also last longer when the grinding behind them is managed.
When to be seen
Book an assessment if a partner has noticed grinding, if your teeth look worn or chipped, or if you wake with an aching jaw or headaches. See your GP first if heavy grinding comes with loud snoring, pauses in breathing, waking choking or marked daytime sleepiness, as these can point to sleep apnoea. Seek prompt advice for a jaw that locks, pain that is severe or worsening, or facial swelling.
Treatment options at our clinic
Bruxism is usually managed rather than cured, so we plan treatment around two aims: protecting the teeth and easing what drives the grinding. The right combination depends on how severe the grinding is, what it has already done and what sits behind it.
Assessment first
Care begins with a dental problem assessment with Dr Vishal Patel. We examine the teeth, the wear pattern, existing fillings and crowns, the jaw joint and the chewing muscles, and talk through stress, sleep, caffeine, alcohol and any signs that suggest an airway problem. If sleep apnoea is a possibility, we ask you to see your GP before we fit anything.
Protecting the teeth: a Davies hard splint
For most people who grind, the cornerstone is a custom hard splint worn at night. We use a Davies-technique hard stabilisation splint, made to precise scans or impressions and adjusted carefully so that the splint takes the wear instead of your teeth and the jaw muscles can rest. Soft, boil-and-bite guards from a pharmacy are a poor long-term choice; many people chew into the soft material, which can encourage clenching. It is worth being clear about the limits: a splint protects the teeth from the consequences of grinding, but it does not stop the grinding itself.
Stubborn grinding: masseter treatment
Where strong grinding persists despite a splint and simpler measures, masseter treatment can help. A prescription-only muscle-relaxing medicine, which many people know as “Botox”, is placed in small doses into the masseter to reduce its strength, so grinding does less damage and the muscle ache eases. The effect wears off over several months and can be repeated. It follows a consultation, is prescribed and administered by Dr Vishal Patel, and is offered selectively rather than by default.
Easing the drivers
Because grinding so often tracks stress and a nervous system that rarely settles, we may suggest slow, extended-exhale breathing, attention to sleep, and somatic coaching and mindfulness with Laura-Maria Schober. These support dental care and your GP’s care; they do not replace either.
Repairing damage
Where teeth are worn or broken, we plan repairs around the grinding that caused them, using composite bonding or crowns and onlays as appropriate, and protect new work with a splint. If you are near the clinic, see crowns, onlays and inlays in Islington.
How we choose
We match treatment to what we find rather than to a set package. Occasional grinding with little wear may need only awareness and review. Active wear, cracked teeth or morning jaw ache usually call for a splint. Masseter treatment is reserved for strong grinding that persists, and restorative work follows only once the grinding is protected against. Where a simpler step would do the job, that is what we recommend.
Cost
- Dental problem assessment: £75
- Dental examination: £65
- Davies hard splint: £495
- Masseter treatment: from £300, after consultation
- Composite bonding: £175 simple / £350 complex
- Crowns, onlays and inlays: £750–£1,200
0% APR finance over 12 months is available. You receive a written plan with costs before any treatment begins.
We are at 222 Essex Road, Islington, N1, two minutes from Essex Road station. Buses 38, 56, 73, 341 and 476 stop on Essex Road, and many patients cycle or arrive by Lime or Forest e-bike; Dalston is around ten minutes away by bike.
Further reading
Frequently asked questions
If your question isn't here, call reception on 020 8127 4567 or book a free discovery call.Text Link
View all FAQs →How do I know if I grind my teeth at night?
Because it happens unconsciously, most people find out indirectly. The commonest clue is a partner hearing it. Other signs are waking with aching jaw muscles, a dull headache around the temples, teeth that look worn or chipped, and increased sensitivity.
Can teeth grinding be cured, or only managed?
It is usually managed rather than cured, because it rises and falls with stress, sleep and life circumstances. A night guard reliably protects the teeth, and addressing the underlying cause can reduce or even stop the grinding itself.
Does a night guard stop the grinding?
No — a night guard protects your teeth from the consequences of grinding by absorbing the force, but it does not stop the grinding itself, because it does not change the underlying cause. We see a guard as one essential part of care rather than the whole answer.
Is teeth grinding linked to stress?
Yes, strongly. Stress, anxiety and tension are the most consistent drivers of both clenching and grinding. Beneath day-to-day stress sits the nervous system itself, which can become stuck in a chronically activated state that keeps the jaw muscles tight.
Can grinding be a sign of sleep apnoea?
It can. Sleep bruxism overlaps with sleep-disordered breathing, and grinding is sometimes the jaw's response to the airway repeatedly narrowing during sleep. If you grind heavily and also snore loudly or wake unrefreshed, it is worth investigating obstructive sleep apnoea with a sleep physician.
