Is the Pandemic Hurting Your Teeth?

Here's how to get the grinding under control, keep teeth strong and fillings intact — and steer clear of the dreaded drill.

Mind your tongue

“Our teeth aren't meant to touch unless we're using them for functional activity like chewing and swallowing,” says Nammy Patel, D.D.S., a San Francisco–based holistic dentist. The rest of the time “your tongue should be resting at the roof of the mouth. That way, your teeth won't make contact.” (An easy way to get into that position: Say the letter “n.") When you find yourself clenching, remember these words — tongue up, teeth apart — and go into the relaxed position.

Keep your posture straight

A lot of us are working remotely from home these days, either slouched in front of a computer in our home office or camped out on the couch. Both bad moves. “When you're slouching, your jaw protrudes forward, causing your teeth to touch,” Patel says. (It's true, try it.) That makes it all the more tempting to start clenching. Every few minutes, check in with your body to be sure you're not falling into bad habits. And keep those jaw muscles limber, says Messina: Every 30 minutes or so, open and close your mouth widely 10 times, then move your bottom jaw from side to side to stretch jaw muscles.

Take frequent time-outs

Being in one position for too long — say, planted in front of your computer — can also cause muscles to tense up, often without us realizing it. Stretching is important for releasing that tension. Every hour, take a five-minute break to let your muscles offload. “There's a phrase in ergonomics that your best posture is your next posture,” says Kate Ayoub, a physical therapist and founder of Own Your Movement, a personalized health and wellness coaching program. “If you're sitting at your desk, working on your computer, make sure you're mixing it up, so you're not in one position all day."

It can be as easy as standing up and touching your toes, Ayoub says. Prefer to stay seated? Interlace your fingers and stretch them over your head, so you're sitting as tall as possible in your seat. Next, keeping fingers interlaced, put hands directly in front of you and push out, while rounding your back. Stretch arms behind you, this time arching your back. And find physical outlets for stress, such as regular short walks around the block, says Cynthia Ackrill, M.D., an Asheville, North Carolina–based life coach.

Look inward 

"Most people don't have the ability to switch off a trigger in their head and say, ‘OK, I'm not going to grind anymore’ — it's an automatic thing,” Jahangiri says. To target the underlying stress that can cause grinding, Ackrill suggests deep breathing exercises (she offers her own on YouTube) or guided meditations. As she explains, things like decreasing your breathing or heart rate can help counteract a sympathetic nervous system that is “revved up” by stress.

Start a bedtime routine 

Jaw movements at night are not only normal, they can be beneficial, increasing the spread of saliva around our mouth, which protects our teeth. But if they cross the threshold into grinding, you've got problems. One solution: Create a bedtime routine to put your brain to bed. “Think back to when you put your toddler to sleep,” says Ackrill. “You probably had a regimen to help your little one let go of the day — a series of events that were cues to your child's brain that it was time to sleep, perhaps talking about the good things that happened that day, followed by a bedtime story.” We can do that for ourselves, she says. Slide into a warm bath. Write in a journal. For her own wind down, Ackrill recently purchased a wireless sleep mask with headphones to pipe in soothing music, set with a timer.

Bolster those bones

Demineralization can destroy tooth enamel and potentially weaken the entire tooth structure. Culprits include foods that generate acids — including sugar-laden treats and fruit juice — and dry mouth, which is a common issue as people age and take more medications, Shuman says. A toothpaste with hydroxyapatite, such Boka or RiseWell, can help remineralize tooth enamel.

Bring the heat

Grinding in your sleep adds another six or so hours of jaw-muscle activity. When we wake up, our jaw muscles may be tender or tight because they have been running a marathon all night. “Lactic acid builds up in the muscles when they become overstressed,” says Jahangiri “Applying a heat pad on the jaw and neck can help dissipate some of that.”

A nighttime dental guard can help with bruxism, otherwise known as teeth grinding.

Getty Images

Consider a night guard

Sleep bruxism is a little trickier to tame because you're not aware of what your mouth is doing as you sleep. That's where night guards come in. Made of plastic, and usually worn on either the upper or lower choppers, “they act as a kind of bumper for your teeth,” Jahangiri says. “Instead of the enamel of your teeth breaking down, the plastic will wear.”

Only a dentist can make a night guard to precisely fit the dimensions of your teeth. A custom-made night guard, designed from in-office impressions, can be pricey (costing, on average, $300 to $500) but, as Jahangiri points out, crowns, bridges and other dental procedures are even more expensive.

You can also go the (cheaper) over-the-counter route. Of the options, “boil-and-bite” guards are usually the best tolerated. These come with an impression kit that allows you to put the guard in hot water to soften it. It's then placed in your mouth and sets to the shape of your teeth. This type of guard costs considerably less (anywhere from $5 to $80) than its in-office counterparts. But it breaks down more quickly than a custom-fit guard and is best as a short-term solution. You can also find companies online that send you a kit to make DIY impressions that you return to the guard manufacturer.

Before you choose among the options, talk to your dentist. “A night guard has to fit well,” says Messina. One made from material that is too soft will allow you to chew on it, increasing jaw muscle activity. Something that doesn't fit well and hold all of your teeth in place can irritate the gum tissue and can even cause teeth to shift over time, which can lead to dental misery down the road.