Nighttime is supposed to be a time of rest and healing for your entire body – and that includes your teeth, tongue, and gums. But if you clench and grind your teeth during the night, you might just wake up with a sore jaw and (eventually) damaged enamel on your teeth. So how do you stop grinding your teeth if you can't stop yourself from doing it while you're unconscious each night? If you're looking for a few techniques to help you stop grinding your teeth and letting your mouth repair itself like the rest of your body during the night, then here's what you need to know.

De-Stress Yourself

The vast majority of clenching and grinding your teeth isn't due to some inherent habit or irregularity in jaw structure – it's stress. Studies have shown that up to 70% of grinding cases are related to vast amounts of stress in your life – so the first step to getting rid of your nightly grind is to de-stress yourself. Take up a relaxing hobby, cut out excess tasks from your day, draw a bubble bath every night – whatever it takes to cut down on the stress in your life to give your teeth a much-needed break at night.

Freeze the Muscle

Botox isn't just for trophy wives or celebrities – it can actually be very beneficial to your health if you've got a grinding problem. Botox works by freezing (paralyzing) the muscle in its place so that it doesn't move like it would normally. Having your doctor put a small shot of botox in your jaw muscles doesn't prevent you from chewing, but freezes the muscle just enough that when you go to clench and grind at night, the muscles won't clench down and thus you won't be able to clench nor grind until the treatment wears off (about 3 or 4 months).

Get A Mouth Guard

If the above tips don't help your grinding and it's bad enough that it's wearing down your teeth at a rapid rate, it's probably time for you to get a mouth guard. No, not the kind you'd use to play football in high school; your dentist can help fit you for a mouth guard that you wear solely at night and sits in between your top and bottom teeth. Not only does this mouth guard help your grinding to become much less intense (and thus helps your jaw hurt less), but it protects both your top and bottom teeth from being sanded down by the grinding motion, stopping the damage in its tracks.

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