What do we grind our teeth about in a dream

Reasons in your head?

Unsafe childhood

“Teeth grinding in a dream may indicate that a person experienced abuse in childhood,” says trauma therapist Tatyana Poddubnaya. – Traumatic experience, especially not worked out in therapy, affects further relationships. The person is afraid of intimacy. He is afraid of aggression – his and his partner. Unable to trust and feel safe.

And if during the day we are still able to control ourselves, then at night the “squeezed” fear and tension manifest through the body.” Bruxism is more common in those who do not know how to recognize and process their emotions. This, too, is usually associated with an unsafe childhood.

Case stories

“I had a client who erased his teeth almost to zero at night,” Tatyana Poddubnaya gives an example. “His father drank heavily and regularly beat his mother, and the boy rushed to separate them. The situation was regularly repeated from 10 to 18, until he left to live separately.

The family was an unsafe environment for the child. One of the parents suffered and was a victim of violence, causing the son both pity and guilt (he was worried that he could not protect his mother). Another showed cruelty and indifference to the feelings of his wife and child.

That is, there was a war at home for many years. At this time, the boy needed to somehow survive and not lose his relationship with his parents completely. Every day he was accompanied by feelings of anger and insecurity, fear of loss – this is literally how witnesses and participants in real hostilities feel.

Another client experienced similar feelings in a different way – she bit and gnawed her lips. Strange as it may sound, this reaction is more “healthy”: it is aimed at getting out of the situation. She, too, from childhood, had to separate her parents, who staged real fights at home.

Therefore, if you grind your teeth in your sleep, you should consult not only with a dentist, but also with a psychologist.

Physiological causes

In 70% of cases, bruxism is associated with internal unrest. But sometimes the problem has much more mundane causes.

Orthodontist Olga Schegolyutina explains: “Teeth grinding during sleep can also occur due to dental pathologies. These include an incorrect bite or position of the teeth, crowding of crowns, incorrectly installed prostheses, joint problems.

In this case, the teeth experience a huge load during the day. And only when we go to bed, the body calms down and relieves stress. Bruxism also occurs due to diseases of the cervical region or problems with the spine.

How bad is bruxism for your teeth?

If the problem is not dealt with in time, the teeth can be seriously damaged, the doctor warns and lists only some of the possible consequences.

• Enamel is damaged and erased, its sensitivity to cold, hot, sour and sweet foods increases.
• Cracks and chips appear in the teeth, they loosen or grind to the ground and fall out.
• The gums become inflamed, there are scratches on the mucosa.
• There are diseases such as stomatitis, periodontitis.

How to protect and treat your teeth

When you go to the doctor, the orthodontist will take an impression and prepare a special mouthguard – it will keep you from grinding your teeth. Also, special night or day tires are made for the patient, trainers and pads are installed, says Olga Shchegolyutina.

“This decision will speed up recovery and greatly help general therapy. Of course, it is best to treat bruxism with a complex method. Combine psychotherapy, medications, physical therapy, and dental treatments (such as malocclusion). Take care of yourself from stress and take action in time!”