Grinding is a rhythmic side-to-side or forward-and-back movement of the lower jaw against the upper teeth, typically during sleep and almost always without the sleeper knowing. The forces involved are startling: unopposed by food, the jaw muscles can generate several times the load of ordinary chewing, and they do it for minutes at a stretch, night after night. Enamel is hard but not indestructible, and over years the biting edges flatten, the cusps of the molars wear into shiny facets, fillings fracture and teeth begin to chip at their corners. Some people also wake with aching temples, a tight jaw or teeth that feel loose in the morning. Bruxism is not one disease with one fix. It is a behaviour driven by the brain’s arousal system during sleep, influenced by stress, caffeine, alcohol, certain medicines and sleep-disordered breathing. At Wimpole Street the aim is to confirm you grind, understand what drives it, protect the teeth from further loss and rebuild what has already worn away.
Flat, shortened front teeth with edges that look sanded
Loss of the natural translucent tips as the teeth grind against each other.
Shiny polished facets on the molars that match up when the jaw slides
Wear facets; they fit together like a lock and key in the grinding position.
A partner who hears a grating or squeaking sound at night
The most reliable evidence, since the sleeper is unaware.
Sore or tired jaw muscles and dull temple headache on waking
Muscle fatigue after hours of contraction.
Teeth sensitive to cold, especially the front ones
Enamel worn thin over the dentine, or tiny cracks admitting cold.
Fillings that keep breaking or teeth that chip for no clear reason
Repeated overload finds the weakest point in each tooth.
Most night-time grinding occurs during brief shifts from deeper to lighter sleep. The heart rate rises, breathing changes and the jaw muscles fire in a rhythmic pattern. Anything that fragments sleep, from a noisy street to untreated snoring, increases these arousals and therefore the grinding.
Periods of pressure at work or at home are the trigger most patients identify, and the correlation holds up in research. The jaw is where many people carry tension by day, and the pattern continues into sleep.
Caffeine late in the day, alcohol in the evening, nicotine and recreational stimulants all increase grinding. Some antidepressants, particularly SSRIs, are associated with new-onset bruxism; if you noticed grinding shortly after starting a medicine, mention it.
Grinding can be the jaw’s reflex effort to reopen a narrowing airway during snoring or obstructive sleep apnoea. Where you are also tired by day, snore heavily or have been told you stop breathing in your sleep, we refer for a sleep assessment, because treating the airway often reduces the grinding.
A high filling, a new crown or teeth that have drifted after a lost molar can change where the jaw settles and invite grinding as the muscles hunt for a comfortable position. The bite is not the root cause of most bruxism, but it can make it worse.
These are holding measures, not a substitute for an examination. Use any pain relief exactly as directed on the pack and check with a pharmacist if you take other medicines.
We photograph and record the wear, check for cracks, test the muscles and joints and look at how the teeth meet. Where wear is progressing, models or a scan act as a baseline for future comparison.
About this treatmentA precisely fitted hard acrylic guard worn over the upper or lower teeth takes the grinding forces onto a replaceable surface, spreads load evenly and often reduces muscle activity. Made from a digital scan and adjusted to your bite at fitting; indicative fee £795.
About this treatmentGuidance on triggers, daytime awareness exercises and, where indicated, referral for stress management or sleep assessment. For patients with marked muscle overactivity, other options are discussed at consultation.
About this treatmentComposite bonding rebuilds chipped edges and lost tooth length; crowns or onlays protect molars that have cracked or lost cusps. Repairs are protected afterwards by a splint.
About this treatmentWhere grinding has fractured a molar or split an old filling, an onlay or crown restores the shape and holds the tooth together.
About this treatmentWhen grinding has produced joint pain, clicking or restricted opening, the TMJ is assessed and managed alongside the bruxism.
About this treatmentA consultation for suspected grinding at Wimpole Street, including examination, photographs and any X-rays, is expected to be £95. A custom hard night splint is indicative at £795, which includes the scan, fitting and adjustment; splints wear over several years and are replaced when the surface is through.
Repairing worn or chipped edges with composite bonding is from £395 per tooth. A crown or onlay for a fractured molar is £995, and where a crack has reached the nerve, root canal treatment is £695 or £895 before the crown. The most economical approach is nearly always early protection, before repairs are needed.
Figures are indicative prices for Wimpole Street and are confirmed in a written plan once a dentist has examined you. Fees match our South Kensington and St Paul's clinics.
Leave your details and we will be in touch when the Marylebone diary opens. If the problem cannot wait, the same clinicians are already seeing patients in South Kensington and at St Paul's.
Related conditions
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
