Ella can't remember when she first started grinding her teeth at night, but she can vividly recall the excruciating jaw ache, the headaches, and being told her molars were disappearing. "I was in so much pain," Ella says. "My face was changing shape and my teeth were at risk of breaking - I knew I had to do something about it." The 31-year-old has bruxism, a condition which can cause regular and often intense teeth grinding, but says the treatment she's recently had has "without a doubt" changed her life.
Bruxism affects millions like Ella across the UK, external. Some studies suggest nearly one in four people experience the condition, although many may be unaware until symptoms appear. According to the British Dental Association there is some anecdotal evidence that bruxism is becoming more common, but no specific figures.
However, some dentists have told the BBC they are worried about the increasing number of young people they're seeing with dental problems caused by incessant gnashing. "It is definitely on the rise," Dr Aditi Desai, president of the British Society of Dental Sleep Medicine (BSDSM), says. "And it's no surprise given that life itself nowadays can be so stressful." Studies, external suggest many of us Bruxers do it because of stress - but why do our jaws carry the burden of our everyday lives?
And can it actually be a good thing in some cases? Bruxism is an umbrella term which groups together four different jaw movements - clenching, grinding, bracing and thrusting. Some people grind at night, others through the day.
Some barely notice they're doing it, while others can gnash through mouthguards and wake even the deepest sleeping bed partners. So how can you tell if you do it? Here are the signs to look out for: Earache or pain near the temples without infection Teeth grinding is also mentioned more frequently in therapy according to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, which says people nowadays are more aware of how their mental health impacts their body.
Psychotherapist Rahi Popat says more of his clients - particularly younger ones - say they or someone else have noticed they've been grinding their teeth, "and they can often link that to a really stressful time in their lives and realise that's when their teeth grinding either increased or even started". Trauma and stress can put you in "fight or flight" mode, where your heart rate increases, you release adrenaline, and your muscles tense, preparing the body for an external threat, he says. And because the jaw and the nervous system are so closely linked through the major cranial nerves, our muscles are triggered and we clench and grind our teeth.
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