If you are regularly waking up with jaw ache, a dull headache around your temples, or teeth that feel tender first thing, there is a good chance your jaw has been working all night while the rest of you slept. Night-time clenching and grinding is remarkably common, and because it happens beyond conscious control, the person doing it is almost always the last to know.
On this page
- Why the ache is worst in the morning
- The other signs that go with it
- Why do people clench and grind?
- Other causes of morning jaw ache
- What actually helps
- When to see your dentist
- The short answer
Why the ache is worst in the morning
Your jaw muscles are among the strongest in the body for their size, and clenching engages them for far longer than chewing ever does. A night spent clenching is, in effect, several hours of isometric exercise for muscles that were expecting to rest.
You wake with exactly what you would expect after that: tired, aching muscles, sometimes tenderness in front of the ears where the jaw joints sit, and often a dull headache spreading across the temples. It typically eases through the morning as the muscles recover, then returns the next day.
The other signs that go with it
Waking up with jaw ache rarely travels alone. Look out for:
- Teeth that feel tender or slightly loose first thing
- Headaches around the temples on waking
- A partner who has heard grinding in the night
- Flattened, worn or chipped tooth edges
- Increased sensitivity to hot and cold
- Ridges along the inside of your cheeks, or scalloped indentations along the edges of your tongue
- Fillings or crowns that keep chipping or coming loose
Those last two are the ones people never spot themselves, and they are often what confirms it at a check-up.
Why do people clench and grind?
Usually a combination of factors rather than a single cause. Stress and anxiety are the most common drivers, which is why many people notice their symptoms flaring during difficult periods at work or home. Sleep quality plays a part, and so, sometimes, does the way your teeth meet.
The important thing to understand is that this happens during sleep, entirely outside your control. Resolving stress may help, and is worth doing for its own sake, but it is not a reliable way to stop your jaw working at three in the morning. Meanwhile your teeth are taking the load every night.
Other causes of morning jaw ache
Clenching is the usual explanation, but not the only one. Jaw joint problems, sometimes called TMJ disorders, can cause aching, clicking and restricted movement. Arthritis can affect the jaw joints as it does other joints. Sinus problems occasionally refer pain into the upper jaw. And an untreated dental problem can produce aching that is easy to misattribute.
This is precisely why a proper examination is worth having rather than self-diagnosing from the internet. The treatment for clenching is not the treatment for a joint problem, and getting the diagnosis right is the whole game.
What actually helps
A custom night guard
This is the mainstay. A custom bite guard is made from precise impressions of your teeth, so it is slim, comfortable and stays put. It does not stop you clenching, and any product claiming to should be treated with suspicion. What it does is take the force instead of your teeth, and many patients find their jaw muscles ease considerably too, because the guard interrupts the clenching pattern.
Shop-bought boil-and-bite guards are bulky, wear through quickly, and often end up in a drawer, which protects nothing.
Simple self-help
- A warm compress against the jaw muscles in the morning eases the ache
- Gentle jaw stretches, if shown to you properly
- Avoiding chewing gum and very chewy foods, which add to the workload
- Noticing daytime clenching, which many night grinders also do at a desk, and consciously letting the jaw hang loose
- Anything that genuinely reduces stress, which helps some people considerably
Repairing the damage
If clenching has already worn or chipped your teeth, they can be rebuilt. Our page on tooth restoration explains how, and where wear is extensive across the whole mouth, a staged full mouth rehabilitation plan is the sensible approach. Either way, the guard comes first, so the new work is protected from the forces that damaged the originals.
The NHS page on teeth grinding is a useful general overview if you would like to read more.
When to see your dentist
Book an appointment if the ache is regular rather than occasional, if you have noticed any of the other signs above, or if your jaw clicks, locks or feels restricted. The examination is straightforward: your teeth are checked for wear patterns, your jaw joints and muscles assessed, and your bite examined.
From there you will get an honest answer about what is driving it and whether a guard or splint is likely to help your particular jaw. Jaw problems have several causes, and I would rather tell you plainly if an appliance is not the answer than sell you one on hope.
The short answer
Waking up with jaw ache usually means night-time clenching, and the muscles are telling you what your teeth cannot. A custom night guard protects your teeth and often eases the ache, but the first step is a proper examination to confirm what is actually going on.
If your mornings start with an aching jaw, ring us on 01255 422506 and let us take a look. Our post on why teeth wear down covers what clenching does over the years, and crowns and fillings explains how damaged teeth get rebuilt.
This article is general information rather than personal dental advice. Every mouth is different, so please speak to your dentist about your own teeth.
