Sleep related bruxism involves the grinding or clenching of
teeth during sleep. It is common for the jaw to contract while
you sleep. When these contractions are too strong, they produce
the sound of tooth grinding. This can cause dental damage by
wearing the teeth down. In most severe cases, hundreds of events
can occur during the night. In milder cases, the grinding may
vary from night to night. Severe bruxism may briefly disturb
your sleep. Only at rare times will it cause you to fully wake
up. Loud sounds caused by the grinding of teeth can be very
unpleasant. This can also disturb the sleep of a bed partner. It
can occur during all stages of sleep. It is most common in
stages one and two of non-REM sleep. The following are signs of
bruxism: - Tooth pain - Jaw muscle pain - Mouth and facial pain
- Limited jaw movement - Damaged or worn teeth - Sore gums Who
gets it? You may not know that you have it unless a family
member or bed partner hears the noise. The rate of bruxism seems
to be highest in children.