Bruxism or excessive teeth grinding (or jaw clenching) is a relatively common condition. If you have bruxism, you probably will show symptoms of hypersensitive teeth, pain in your jaw from constant teeth clenching, headaches, and attrition (flattening of teeth surfaces) amongst others.

Bruxism can occur at night, during sleep (nocturnal bruxism) and when you’re awake.

Bruxism can negatively affect your quality of life, so seeking treatment early on to stop teeth grinding can be beneficial.

How to Stop Teeth Grinding

Most clinicians will recommend dental guards, but research has shown that wearing dental guards during sleep is ineffective in preventing bruxism. Moreover, wearing dental guards is not only ineffective, but also inconvenient for awake bruxism.

To prevent bruxism, botulinum toxin is often used as a safe treatment for teeth grinding, and it works both day and night.

How Does This Stop Teeth Grinding?

Very much like treatments for wrinkles and excessive sweating, botulinum toxin is injected using a very fine needle. However, in this case, it’s injected not into the skin, but into the masseter muscle (the muscle used when chewing).

Botulinum toxin binds with nerve endings in the muscle, preventing release of acetylcholine, causing a neuromuscular blocking effect. In simple terms, it relaxes the masseter muscle, reducing any clenching in the jaw.

Most patients report seeing the effects of treatment about 5-7 days later. Usually, the injections to stop teeth grinding will last about 6 months. Follow-up or top-up treatments are often well-tolerated.

If you would like to learn more our treatment to stop teeth grinding during sleep, please book a free consultation using the contact form below. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible to secure your appointment and you’ll receive 10% off your first treatment.