Teeth grinding, otherwise known as bruxism, on an occasional basis will cause no damage to your teeth. But continual or repeated teeth grinding may start to become a serious problem as it can erode the enamel, cause structural damage to teeth and cause painful jaw complaints. Excessive teeth grinding becomes even more of a serious problem if it occurs during sleep. This is because the patient will have no control over their actions and you can imagine the rate of erosion if someone spends several hours a night grinding their teeth.

For years, many doctors thought that unconscious teeth grinding was caused by stress or anxiety but dentists have recently discovered that a more likely cause is the physical position of the teeth, although the problem can be made worse by stress. A misaligned bite caused by physical trauma or missing teeth can cause discomfort and irritation to the jaw muscles which respond by moving, causing a grinding of the teeth. Because the grinding happens at night some patients may not be aware that they are doing it. One way to tell is if you constantly suffer with a dull headache or a sore jaw. A City of Leeds dentist will be able to confirm if you are suffering from teeth grinding by examining your teeth.

Once you have been diagnosed, the next step to preventing any further damage caused by grinding is to have a dentist fit a mouth guard to cushion the teeth during sleep. This will prevent any further damage during sleep while the dentist plans more in depth treatment to eliminate the cause of the problem. This may involve adjusting teeth or even fitting a dental replacement such as a dental bridge or partial denture.