Bruxism
Avoid teeth grinding: 10 helpful methods
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Stretch your jaw muscles regularly
To do this, open your mouth deliberately wide or chew hard foods such as nuts or crunchy apples. These simple exercises promote mobility of the jaw muscles and can help counteract shortening.
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Practice self-monitoring
Pay attention to your jaw position during the day. If you notice that you are clenching your teeth, consciously relax your jaw and gently massage the muscles to reduce tension.
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Eat magnesium-rich foods
Magnesium-rich foods such as whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds can support magnesium levels. A balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and fruit can therefore be a useful complement.
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Regular dental care
Care for your teeth thoroughly and have a check-up every six months. This way any wear can be detected early before serious damage occurs.
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Plan active stress management
Because teeth grinding is often linked to stress, it can help to deliberately include relaxation exercises in your daily routine. Yoga, progressive muscle relaxation or short mindfulness breaks before bedtime help the jaw and body to relax.
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Use custom night guards
Individually fitted plastic splints distribute the forces from teeth clenching evenly. These splints can be worn especially at night and reduce tooth wear.
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Use biofeedback
Technical aids such as special sensors or splints with feedback can help you become aware of your own grinding. Acoustic or vibratory signals train the relaxation of the jaw muscles.
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Physiotherapy or manual techniques
Targeted physical measures, manual therapies or osteopathy can release blockages and relax the jaw muscles. Self-massage of the muscles in the jaw area is also useful and easy to integrate into daily life.
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Pay attention to ergonomic posture
An upright sitting and head posture at the workplace reduces muscular tension in the neck and jaw area. Short breaks with shoulder and neck movements additionally help to relieve strain.
- Relaxation rituals before bedtime
Warm baths, soft music or breathing exercises before going to bed can calm the muscles. Such routines help reduce evening tension that might otherwise promote night-time grinding.
editorial.facts
- Bruxism is the uncontrolled clenching or grinding of the teeth. This strain goes far beyond normal chewing and can heavily load both the teeth and the temporomandibular joints.
- A distinction is made between awake bruxism, which is mostly conscious, and sleep bruxism, which occurs involuntarily during sleep and often goes unnoticed.
- Around a quarter to a third of adults show signs of teeth grinding or clenching, with increasing everyday stress considered an important influence.
- Women aged 30 to 45 are most commonly affected. In children, night-time teeth grinding can reach up to 40%, usually temporarily during tooth change.
