{"id":647,"date":"2026-06-27T08:11:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T06:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clinicaqo.es\/bruxism-why-you-grind-your-teeth-and-what-actually-helps\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T17:12:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T15:12:27","slug":"bruxism-why-you-grind-your-teeth-and-what-actually-helps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clinicaqo.es\/en\/bruxism-why-you-grind-your-teeth-and-what-actually-helps\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruxism: Why You Grind Your Teeth \u2013 and What Actually Helps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You wake up and notice it before you’ve even properly opened your eyes: your jaw heavy, your temples tight, a dull headache you can’t place. Or it’s your partner who tells you, half-asleep and half-reproachful: “you’ve been grinding your teeth all night again”. Welcome to the world of bruxism<\/strong> \u2013 one of those things we do without realising, and which carries as much confusion as discomfort.<\/p>\n\n

The good news is that science has changed how it understands it a great deal in recent years. The less good news \u2013 let’s be honest from the start \u2013 is that there’s no magic pill that “cures” it. But there is plenty you can do. Let’s take it step by step.<\/p>\n\n

What is bruxism?<\/h2>\n\n
\"Ilustración<\/figure>\n\n

Forget the idea of a “bad habit” or “quirk”. Bruxism is defined as repetitive muscle activity<\/strong> of the jaw, which shows up in two ways: clenching<\/strong> the teeth in a sustained way, or grinding<\/strong> them with back-and-forth movements. What they have in common is that they serve no useful function: you’re not chewing or swallowing \u2013 your muscles simply activate on their own.<\/p>\n\n

Daytime and night-time aren’t the same<\/h2>\n\n

An international expert consensus (led by Dr Lobbezoo, 2018) drew a distinction that changed everything. There are two different kinds of bruxism<\/strong>, with different causes and management:<\/p>\n\n

\n\n
<\/th>Sleep bruxism<\/th>Awake bruxism<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n
When<\/strong><\/td>While you sleep<\/td>During the day, awake<\/td><\/tr>\n
How<\/strong><\/td>More grinding (with noise)<\/td>More clenching, in silence<\/td><\/tr>\n
Typical trigger<\/strong><\/td>Micro-arousals during sleep<\/td>Stress, concentration, tension<\/td><\/tr>\n
Who notices it<\/strong><\/td>Your partner, because of the noise<\/td>You yourself, if you pay attention<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Telling them apart matters, because what helps with one doesn’t always work for the other.<\/p>\n\n

\"Manual<\/figure>\n\n

The shift in thinking: disorder or behaviour?<\/h2>\n\n

Here’s one of the most important and least known ideas. Today, in healthy people, bruxism is no longer automatically considered a disease<\/strong>, but rather a behaviour or muscle activity that can have negative consequences… or even be harmless.<\/p>\n\n