Are you feeling more stressed than usual? It’s been a stressful year for many of us, and it could be causing havoc on your body. One sign of stress is teeth grinding or jaw clenching. This can happen during the night, or even unconsciously during the day.
## How Do You Know If You Grind Your Teeth?
It can sometimes be hard to tell if you grind your teeth or clench your jaw. You might be doing both, or one but not the other. 

## Signs You Might Grind Your Teeth
If you grind your teeth, you’ll probably notice changes in your teeth. This could be changes in the shape or even the color of your teeth. Check your back molars. If you grind your teeth, your back teeth are usually ground down and the enamel starts to wear off.  When the enamel wears off, your teeth may start to change color, as the yellowish-brown dentin under the enamel starts to show. The shape may also change. Rather than seeing rounded or curved edges on your teeth, they may be worn down into a flatter shape.

## Signs You Might Clench Your Jaw
If you’ve been clenching your jaw, you may notice faint horizontal lines on your teeth. These vertical cracks in the enamel can show that you’ve been clenching your jaw. Another sign of clenching your jaw is a squarer face shape. Over time, the jaw muscle gets bigger, and it can actually change the shape of your face. Headaches can also indicate a problem. If you’ve been getting frequent headaches, you may spend hours every night clenching your jaw. 
## Treating Teeth Grinding and Jaw Clenching
The best treatment option for teeth grinding and jaw clenching may be a bit different for everyone. One popular treatment option is investing in a custom night guard. Nightguards can be custom molded to fit your teeth. Wearing this guard overnight can prevent grinding in the night and reduce jaw clenching. It can’t stop the unconscious movement, but it can protect your teeth. Your teeth will glide over the mouth guard rather than grinding against each other.  
## Botox can Treat Jaw Clenching and Teeth Grinding
Another effective treatment option is Botox. Botox injected into the masseter or jaw muscle can treat both jaw clenching and teeth grinding. How does it work? Botox isn’t just an anti-aging treatment that smooths away wrinkles. It can also treat muscle spasms or jaw clenching. Botox relaxes muscles by blocking signals from the brain to that muscle. The muscle is partially paralyzed, preventing spasms or clenching.

Botox for jaw clenching and teeth grinding doesn’t completely paralyze your jaw muscle. You’ll still be able to chew, talk, laugh, smile, and more. What changes is that your muscles won’t move unconsciously. During the night your jaw muscles will stay relaxed, protecting your teeth and reducing jaw pain.

Botox treatments in your jaw muscles can also give you a slimmer face. As the masseter muscle becomes less active, it can return to its normal size.

To find out more about Botox for jaw clenching, book an online consultation with one of our doctors.

large_iStock-1162203170.jpg