Grinding your teeth through the night

Grinding your teeth through the night

During the night, we process stress through our jaws. Teeth grinding happens unconsciously and usually also unnoticed. However, grinding or clenching can be damaging to your teeth and lead to tension or pain. Relaxation exercises can help.
15.11.2023

If we do something "teeth-gnashingly", it does not correspond to our ideas. Quite the opposite: we suppress our displeasure; do it unwillingly, reluctantly. Situations like this can trigger stress, which we literally process like this at night. When people grind their teeth, known as bruxism, they unconsciously press or rub their teeth together.

Waking up with a headache

In Switzerland, about a third of the population grinds their teeth while they sleep. This process can really take its toll on the teeth, as it can cause irreparable damage such as abraded chewing surfaces or cracks in the enamel. The constant pressure on the jaw muscles often leads to tension, which becomes noticeable in the morning in the form of headaches, neck pain and even shoulder pain. In certain cases, it even causes persistent ringing in the ears (tinnitus). Hour-long teeth grinding can cause dizziness or migraines as well as problems with the eyes.

Mouth guards and relaxation exercises help

Mouth guards made by dental technicians - also called relaxation or Michigan guards - can help against grinding. These are prosthesis-like plastic supports that protect the teeth and have a pain-relieving effect.

Physiotherapy can also help relieve tension in the muscles or jaw joint. Stretching and loosening exercises are the main ways to relieve tension and relax the muscle. For example, you can open your mouth wide several times a day and stretch the muscles, or you can loosen the muscles with a self-massage.

Getting to the bottom of the causes

Ultimately, this is only a symptom treatment. In order to find the underlying cause of bruxism, one has to deal with the stress factors and find out which methods are the best to cope with them. In most cases, simple relaxation techniques such as yoga, tai chi, autogenic training or progressive muscle relaxation can help. If the symptoms become more severe, psychological treatment may also be useful.

What about me?

If you want to find out whether you grind your teeth at night, you can have your teeth checked by a dentist. Those who have headaches and a tense neck should also check whether the pain could come from grinding.

Up to 900 francs a year for relaxation and well-being
SWICA covers 90% of the costs under your COMPLETA FORTE supplementary plan, up to 300 francs per calendar year. COMPLETA PRAEVENTA covers an additional 50% of the costs up to 300 francs per year. OPTIMA supplementary insurance covers 90% of the cost exceeding this amount, up to a maximum of 300 francs per calendar year. This can result in prevention contributions of up to 900 francs per year for relaxation and well-being activities: swica.ch/wellbeing.

Cost sharing for mouth guards
With the DENTA supplementary plan, SWICA covers part of the costs of mouth guards: swica.ch/denta.

In the event of further health-related questions, SWICA customers can contact the santé24 telemedicine service free of charge on +41 44 404 86 86. A telemedicine practice licence allows santé24 physicians to provide additional medical services in cases that are suited to a telemedicine approach. SWICA customers can also use the BENECURA medical app to carry out a digital SymptomCheck and receive recommendations about what to do next. During a subsequent phone call with santé24, customers can decide for themselves whether to release their information from SymptomCheck to santé24.
More health tips