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What Clenching Does to the Enamel of Your Teeth


Posted on 3/30/2019 by Dr. Chad Rebhun
What Clenching Does to the Enamel of Your TeethThe enamel of your teeth is like a strong, outer shell. It is what comes into contact with the foods that you eat, and it is also what people will see when you smile. You want your enamel to be strong, but there are things that can wear it down. One of those things is clenching your teeth.

Teeth Clenching


When someone clenches their teeth, they bite down too tightly when they are not eating or talking. Many people do not know that they do it, and often it takes place while a person sleeps. Your teeth are not meant to touch at all times, so clenching your teeth can wear down the enamel. Your teeth do not make new enamel, and once it is gone, it is gone. The wearing down of the enamel takes time, it is not going to happen because a person clenches his or her teeth a couple times.

Another problem that you might have if you have clenched your teeth for years is cracked teeth. Sensitive teeth are another problem, since often sensitive teeth are caused because of a lack of enamel.

How Do You Know?
If you clench your teeth in your sleep, how do you know that you do it? There are signs that you can look for. If you clench your teeth in your sleep, you could wake up with jaw pain. You could also have swollen gums when you first wake up. Morning headaches could also be a sign.

If you wake up and your tongue is sore, that is another sign, because many people who clench teeth in their sleep also bite their tongues.

If you have any of these symptoms, or any other type of pain in your mouth or jaw, come to see us. We will be able to figure out what is going on, and then treat the problem.

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Dental Blog | Optimum Oral Surgery Group
At Optimum Oral Surgery Group, Dr. Donald G. Rebhun has created this informative blog to help educate the community. Read the dental blog posts here.
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