The key facts

  • Clenching teeth under stress leads to the accumulation of microtraumas in the enamel and dentin
  • A particular risk group includes people with bruxism and parafunctions of the masticatory muscles
  • If you grind your teeth at night, the doctor advises seeing a dentist for a night guard

Why clenching your jaw is dangerous

Stress and involuntary teeth clenching can lead to microcracks, enamel chips, and even fractures of teeth or their roots. Traumatologist Olga Tishkina, chief physician of the New Iceberg natural dentistry center, told Gazeta.Ruabout this. According to her, people with bruxism and other parafunctions of the masticatory muscles are at particular risk of hidden fractures and cracks: constant clenching creates repeated stress on the enamel and dentin, causing microtraumas to accumulate.

Habits and signs of the problem

According to the specialist, habits of chewing on something in a stressful situation are especially harmful: any hard object between the teeth creates a point overload on a specific area. Even sharply clenching the jaws and teeth knocking against each other can be dangerous. Problems also occur during sleep — if a person grinds their teeth at night, wakes up with tightly clenched jaws, or has fillings break off during sleep, this is a reason to see a dentist for a protective night guard.

How to protect your teeth

Tishkina recommended protecting teeth not only with mouthguards during training and active recreation, but also through stress management and conscious control of habits: noticing clenched jaws, replacing pen-chewing with less harmful actions, and, in case of persistent tension, seeing a specialist and choosing relaxation techniques together with them.