Dealing with stress has become an everyday experience for most people. But it should be taken seriously. If you  often wake up with a sore jaw and possibly even a headache, take precautions as you could be grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw without even realizing it^.

Referred to as bruxism, this condition includes either the grinding of teeth (which is more common at night while sleeping), or the clenching of the jaw which is more common during the day. Some people even experience both^.

Studies have shown that up to 70% of bruxism cases can be attributed to stress^.
Grinding of teeth is regarded as common, affecting approximately 8-10% of the population, most often between the ages of 25 and 44^. While some people may go through phases, it could cause damage^.

When grinding your teeth surfaces together, you can wear through the protective enamel layer. This exposes the softer inner layers of the teeth which can be ground away even faster^.

 Both regular jaw clenching and grinding puts strain on the muscles and ligaments of the jaw. This can cause pain when you wake up and may over time cause your jaw to pop or click when you open or close it. With constant jaw clenching pain, it can become uncomfortable to eat^. Excessive grinding can gradually push your teeth out of their proper position^.

There are some methods which can be adopted to try and reduce the severity of teeth grinding or jaw clenching. These include sleeping with a custom made mouth guard and wearing a bite splint. Finding a way to reduce stress might be the best solution.

In terms of treatment, some doctors may suggest taking a muscle relaxant before bedtime for a short period of time^.

An anti-inflammatory gel can also be helpful as its anti-inflammatory properties can help relieve the muscular inflammation while its analgesic and local anaesthetic properties can help reduce any possible surface pain.