Why do some people grind their teeth when they sleep and what can be done to stop it?

Answer 1

some people grind there teeth while they are sleeping, because sub-consciously they are either dreaming or thinking of eating, being scared, anger or any other emotion that one can think of...it only happens to some people because certain people are more deeper sleepers then others, or they are going through either the 2ND or the 4th stage of sleeping(the lightest ones)during this stage the individual is more likely to talk in there sleep,sleep walk, grind there teeth and so on. What can be done?if you are the one that grinds your teeth then you could try drinking a warm drink before going to bed IE: warm milk,tea, hourlies, hot chocolate, etc(as it will promote the brain to go into either the 1st/3rd stage all night long causing your body to "shut down" totally which will result in a restless free night.).BUT DO NOT DRINK ANY THING WITH CAFFEINE IN as it will keep you in the 2ND/4the stage all night long.
another thing that you could try is to get a tooth guard(like a gum guard, but for your teeth.) which prevents your upper set of teeth and the lower set from being in contact which in essence will prevent the grinding of your teeth

Answer 2

Most people grind their teeth during sleep from too much stress. A dentist can make soft plastic inserts that cover the teeth during sleep to protect the teeth and quiet the noise

Answer 3

It's usually stress - when you sleep, your subconscious mind takes over - like in dreams. If you're really stressed out, and you have no release for that stress, it's possible that you'll grind your teeth.

You may want to assess what's going on in your life and do something to alleviate that stress - that should stop the old teeth from grinding.

Answer 4

Stress is a huge issue with this particular problem. Apparently dentists can tell if a person is stressed by examining their teeth - there's often pronounced wearing of the back teeth, or even hairline cracks from the pressure of the teeth being clenched.
I was a clencher, and my naturopath gave me a high dose magnesium supplement (excellent for stress, as are B vitamins, etc etc). Magnesium is a terrific tonic for the nervous system, and relaxes muscles like you wouldn't believe.
I was severely deficient in magnesium at the time, but stopped clenching after one week of supplementation.

Answer 5

there are many reason people grind there teeth, could be your lifestyle or stress. go to your dentist and explain your grind your teeth and ask for a mouth gaurd to be made. this wont stop the grinding but instead of grinding your teeth away your grind the mouth gaurd instead.

Answer 6

stress causes teeth grinding during sleep -it could be of jaw tenderness and abnormalities in the teeth.
at times people chew pencils, or other objects that is not food and their mouth muscle gets use to chewing so they end up grinding their teeth at night.

Answer 7

For me, it may be due to tention ion of the day that goes into the sleep time. Not much can be done to stop it, unless you want heavy duty tranquilizers, but I wear a plastic mouth guard when I sleep. No more broken teeth.

Answer 8

My dentist said it was stress and I have these forms I wear over my teeth when I sleep to protect my teeth and he recommended I talk to a therapist to deal with the stress.

Answer 9

Go to the Dentist for night guard.. You wear it at night to prevent grinding.

Answer 10

i know at the store they sell this guard for your mouth, so when u grind your teeth your actually grinding the piece that is in your mouth.