Bruxism and Clenching

Can you remember a scene at the movies when the camera goes in for a close-up on the gangster's face during a tense moment in the film and you can see him clenching and his jaw muscles throbbing? I always think...bet he has headaches. This habit is one of the main culprits in triggering headaches. This action of biting down with your teeth goes by the name of "clenching", "bruxing", "grinding one's teeth" and/or TMJ problems. But though many people do it, most don't think they have the habit unless someone has noticed that they grind their teeth at night, experience jaw pain and/or headaches, or a dentist has pointed out cracked teeth or excessive wear. Unfortunately one of the most common results of clenching is chronic headaches but since most headache sufferers don't think they clench the connection is not made. Or even more interesting, I have never had a client be told to stop clenching fist before drastic measures like surgery are tried. Even misaligned bites can correct themselves once the clenching has stopped.

In our practice it is the number one trigger of tension and migraine headaches. We will say it again. In our practice it is the number one trigger of tension and migraine headaches. Hard to believe? We have people sent to us on the verge of jaw surgery, people who have been prescribed splints to protect their teeth and they keep "chewing" them up, people with chronic headaches who "swear" they don't clench and the treatment for all of them is to "stop the habit of clenching." Sounds simple? It is, but for many it is a major undertaking. Not because it is a hard thing to do...but because habits are for the most part unconscious and for that reason hard to break.

Dentist prescribe splint therapy but if you do not stop the habit of clenching the splint is only a partial solution. Surgery is done on the TMJ joint, but then because the habit of clenching is still in place the results are less than optimum. Medications can help the pain but if the habit is not changed the cause is still present.

Since many headache sufferers don't think they clench, let's use this definition: If your upper and lower teeth are touching at any time EXCEPT when you are chewing or swallowing that is enough pressure to trigger the onset of headaches. How do you know what your teeth are doing? You pay attention. You check the position of you teeth every chance you get. If you find them touching put some space between your teeth. At first when you start to check it will be frustrating because you will find your teeth are touching every time you check.
Some of you will find that you clench only during certain times. Like when you are trying to figure something out on the computer, or when you are talking to a difficult relative on the phone, or when you teenager has missed a curfew. What if you only clench at night? How can you stop a habit when you are asleep? First you must stop during the day. Then once the new habit of "not clenching" is in place, it will feel strange to clench. Then at night before you go to sleep you relax your jaw, remind yourself not to clench and then check anytime your awake enough to do it.

This habit of clenching is one of the reasons that medications, splints, massage, and other alternative treatments fail. Because if the habit persists, all the good these other modalities offer is countered by the continued habit of clenching.

Here are some clues to look for if you think you don't think you are clenching but have headaches.
1) You sometimes wake up with sore teeth or jaw muscles
2) When you relax your jaw and let you chin drop, it feels more uncomfortable than when your mouth is shut.
3) You can't open your mouth as wide as you should be able to.
4) You chew gum everyday.
5) Just touching your teeth together without biting down is enough pressure to be a problem.