Disclaimer:
Any medical/health information in this course is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based on such information, I encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. The use or reliance of any information contained in this course is solely at your own risk.
Teeth clenching is one of the most common habits associated with jaw pain.
Clenching puts extra work on the jaw joint and muscles. Often, more clenching = more jaw pain (and/or headaches).
So, why do we clench?
There are a few reasons.
Habit
Sometimes, we’ve simply formed a habit of resting the teeth together.
Stability
For people with extra movement in the jaw joint (called hypermobility), we might clench to create a sense of stability in the joint.
You can read more on that here, but the short of it is this:
If the jaw joint is naturally loose, the muscles will pick up the slack and tighten things up. (However, there are ways to increase stability without putting so much work on the muscles.)
Stress
We also might clench because this is a way our body is managing stress. This is a big one.
Have you ever heard of the “fight or flight” response? When your body senses danger, you are programmed to automatically respond in a way that helps you survive. One important part of this response is increased muscle tension (if you’re trying to flee from danger, you want your muscles to turn on to help you escape.)
It’s easy to think of examples that involve physical danger - like a bear jumping out from the woods (you better believe your muscles will tense so you can run!)
However, this reaction can also occur in response to threats to our emotional, mental, and social health such as difficult conversations, work challenges, self-criticisms, or someone crossing our boundaries.
While these reasons may not seem as threatening as a bear, the body often responds the same way to these small, chronic threats as it does to the big threats. The magnitude may be different, but muscle tension often results in both.
Here are some examples:
When I asked a patient when she noticed more clenching during her week, she said, “I notice it when I’m holding back something I really want to say.”
One patient noticed more clenching around the time when her son started school - when she was worried about how he would do.
Another patient noticed clenching when she had to work with difficult clients at work.
Usually, clenching is a sign that our body is responding to something. Sometimes, this is how the body responds when our mind needs to stay on track (for example, “I don’t have time to get upset about this. Everything will be fine.”)
Our mind may have moved on, but our body keeps track.
Over time, this pattern of tensioning our muscles throughout the days, weeks, and months can lead to sensitive muscles and nerves from all the extra tension.
Airway
Another reason the body might clench or grind is if you have issues breathing. If the tongue is blocking the airway, the jaw joint will often adjust to jut your jaw and tongue forward to keep the airway clear.
This usually occurs in individuals with sleep apnea. In a normal jaw position, the tongue may block the airway. So, the jaw joint will wiggle around trying to open up more space, leading to grinding of the teeth.
This often occurs when sleeping.
What About You?
A thorough examination helps us understanding 1) if clenching is a pattern contributing to your symptoms, 2) why you might be clenching, and 3) how to go about addressing it.
If you’re ready to connect with an expert for an evaluation, reach out to us on our “Contact Us” page for a 15-minute, free phone consult.
Cheers,
Dr. Rebecca Salstrand, PT
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