Many people either have, once had, or will have a clenching disorder. Clenching disorders are more common than you might think. Clenching disorders are the conscious or unconscious squeezing, tapping, clenching, rubbing or grinding of your teeth together at night while you sleep or at times during the day. For some, this disorder causes pain. For others, it goes on unrecognized for years until the health of the mouth can become severely compromised.
The severity of clenching disorders falls into a continuum, with painless clenching on one end and painful clenching on the other.
In The Painful Clencher, It Simply Hurts (and May Damage the Teeth)
Headaches—Temporal, Eyes, Back of Neck
People with painful clenching may suffer from headaches around the temples, the eyes or back of the neck. The frequent squeezing, tensing and fatiguing of these jaw muscles often leads to these “tension” headaches. Many “sinus” headaches are, in fact, from clenching the muscles of the jaws and face. Stress and lack of sleep may aggravate these pains.
Headaches—Migraine Trigger
Nightly clenching may be a significant trigger for migraine headaches. Many migraine sufferers gain migraine relief by proper management of their nightly clenching. The same nightly clenching that triggers a “tension” headache becomes more severe in the person prone to migraines. If you suffer from migraines, it may pay to be evaluated for clenching as a trigger.
Temporal Mandibular Jaw Joint (TMJ) Pain
Painful clenchers may have pain in their temporal mandibular jaw joints (TMJ) with difficulty chewing or with limited jaw opening. In these people, the joint and surrounding ligaments become stressed by the action of the powerful clenching muscles. These people may feel or hear their jaw joints click, pop or get stuck. This can often hurt.
In the Annoying Clencher, There Is Soreness or Sensitivity, Plus Damage to the Teeth
Sore Jaw Muscles or Throat Pain
Annoying clenchers may have sore muscles near the sides of their jaws or cheeks. They may even complain of a sore throat near the front of their neck. Throat soreness can be from the tongue pushing hard against the teeth while they clench at night. These people might not have headaches, just annoying soreness around their lower face or neck. However, while they clench, their teeth take a beating.
Sensitive Teeth, Itching Teeth or Gums
Annoying clenchers may complain of wandering tooth sensitivity that travels around their mouths. It can be continual, even tooth specific. Teeth become sensitive to cold, or even to the touch of a toothbrush or dental probe. Having their teeth cleaned my be uncomfortable. Teeth or gums may feel itchy after a night of clenching. Annoying clenchers may wake up feeling like they have been squeezing their teeth together. For all of these sensitivities, nightly clenching may be the culprit. Teeth react to excessive clenching by becoming sensitive to cold or tender to chewing. Teeth do not like the nightly beating. Sometimes back teeth will even crack under the repeated pressures.
In the Painless Clencher; the Teeth, Gums or Supporting Bone Take the Abuse
Front Teeth Get Shorter, Rougher or Keep on Chipping
In the painless clencher, it’s the teeth that take the abuse. The front teeth continue to wear, chip, roughen or crack as they are rubbed or gnashed together at night. Often this was painful clenching in the past. However, if the muscles get healthy, the joints become resistant to pain and the clencher is no longer prone to headaches—the muscles get stronger, with the teeth gums taking the abuse.
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