Teeth grinding is surprisingly common during orthodontic treatment, with roughly 45% of orthodontic patients reporting bruxism after starting braces. The combination of shifting teeth, new bite patterns, and the stress of treatment can trigger or worsen grinding, and the stakes are higher when you have brackets and wires that can break under pressure. The good news is that several strategies, from custom mouthguards to simple sleep adjustments, can protect both your teeth and your orthodontic hardware.
Why Braces Can Make Grinding Worse
Braces change the way your upper and lower teeth meet. As your teeth shift into new positions, your bite temporarily feels unfamiliar, and your jaw muscles may respond by clenching or grinding, especially at night when you have no conscious control. Some people grind before they ever get braces, but a cross-sectional study published in BMC Oral Health found that 45% of patients reported bruxism specifically after beginning orthodontic treatment. That’s a significant chunk of people dealing with a problem they may not have had before.
Grinding with braces carries extra risks beyond the usual enamel wear. The force of clenching can pop brackets off your teeth, bend archwires, and undo weeks of progress. Every broken bracket means an extra office visit and potentially a longer treatment timeline. Protecting your hardware is just as important as protecting your teeth.
Custom Mouthguards for Braces
A mouthguard is the most direct way to shield your teeth and brackets from grinding forces. Standard drugstore night guards won’t work here. They’re molded for teeth without brackets, and they’ll either not fit at all or press against your wires in ways that interfere with tooth movement.
Custom-fitted mouthguards, made by your orthodontist or dentist, are designed to accommodate the unique shape of brackets and wires. They fit over the hardware without putting pressure on it, and they create a cushion between your upper and lower teeth so grinding forces are absorbed by the guard instead of your enamel and brackets. If you suspect you’re grinding at night, ask your orthodontist about a custom guard at your next adjustment appointment. They can check for telltale signs like worn spots on your brackets or flattened tooth surfaces you might not have noticed.
Bite Blocks and Turbos
Your orthodontist has a built-in tool that can help: bite blocks, sometimes called bite turbos. These are small devices bonded to your front or back teeth that physically prevent your upper and lower teeth from fully contacting each other when you bite down. They’re primarily used to correct deep bites, overbites, and crossbites, but they also reduce the damage grinding can do.
Because bite blocks create a gap between your molars, they limit the ability to generate full clenching force on your back teeth, where most grinding damage happens. They also prevent you from biting directly onto your lower brackets, which is a common cause of brackets popping off. Not everyone with braces needs bite blocks, but if you’re grinding heavily, your orthodontist may consider adding them as a protective measure even if your bite correction doesn’t strictly require them.
Clear Aligners as an Alternative
If you’re still in the planning stages of orthodontic treatment and know you’re a grinder, clear aligners offer a built-in advantage. The plastic trays act as a barrier between your upper and lower teeth, so when you clench or grind at night, you’re grinding against smooth plastic rather than enamel on enamel. The aligners essentially function as a night guard while simultaneously moving your teeth.
Clear aligners are made from smooth, BPA-free plastic that many people find more comfortable than traditional metal braces or hard plastic night guards. They won’t eliminate the grinding habit itself, but they absorb the forces and protect your tooth surfaces in the process. This dual function is worth discussing with your orthodontist if bruxism is a significant concern for you.
Sleep Position and Nighttime Habits
How you sleep affects how much pressure your jaw experiences overnight. Sleeping on your stomach pushes your jaw out of alignment and increases pressure on the jaw joint, making grinding more likely and more forceful. Sleeping on your back or side keeps your head in line with your spine, which allows your jaw muscles to relax more naturally.
A few smaller habits matter too. Resting your head on your hand or fist while you sleep adds extra force to one side of your jaw, which can worsen clenching. A supportive pillow that keeps your head and neck aligned helps your jaw and neck muscles stay less contracted through the night. These adjustments won’t eliminate grinding on their own, but they reduce the mechanical forces that make it worse.
Daytime Strategies That Help at Night
Most people focus on nighttime grinding because that’s when the damage happens, but daytime habits set the stage. Stress is one of the strongest triggers for bruxism, and actively managing it during the day can reduce nighttime clenching. Regular exercise, deep breathing, and even a consistent wind-down routine before bed all help lower the baseline tension your jaw muscles carry into sleep.
Pay attention to your jaw during the day as well. Many grinders also clench without realizing it while working, driving, or scrolling their phone. The resting position for your jaw is lips together, teeth slightly apart, tongue resting gently on the roof of your mouth. Practice returning to this position throughout the day, and your muscles will be less primed to clench when you fall asleep.
Avoiding caffeine and alcohol in the evening also helps. Both substances are linked to increased sleep bruxism. Caffeine keeps your nervous system activated, and alcohol disrupts sleep architecture in ways that make grinding episodes more frequent and intense.
Jaw Relaxation Exercises
Gentle stretching of the jaw muscles before bed can reduce the tension that fuels grinding. One simple technique: place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth and slowly open your jaw as wide as comfortable, holding for five seconds. Repeat this five to ten times. This stretches the muscles responsible for clenching and signals them to release.
Applying a warm washcloth to both sides of your jaw for ten minutes before sleep also helps. The heat increases blood flow to tight muscles and encourages them to relax. You can combine this with gentle massage of the muscles just in front of your ears, where the main chewing muscles sit. Circular pressure with your fingertips for a minute or two on each side often provides noticeable relief.
When Grinding Is Severe
For people whose grinding is intense enough to repeatedly break brackets or cause jaw pain, more targeted interventions exist. Some practitioners use injections to partially relax the large chewing muscles on each side of the jaw. This reduces the force those muscles can generate, which means less damage even if grinding continues. The procedure requires careful planning with ultrasound imaging to target the right areas of the muscle, and the effects typically last a few months before needing to be repeated.
Your orthodontist may also adjust your treatment plan in response to severe grinding. This could mean using stronger adhesive on brackets, switching to a different bracket system, or modifying wire choices to be more resilient to grinding forces. If you’re breaking brackets frequently, don’t just keep getting them re-bonded without addressing the underlying grinding. Bring it up as a pattern so your orthodontist can adapt.
What Happens After Braces Come Off
Some people find that their grinding improves once braces are removed and their bite settles into its final position. A better-aligned bite distributes chewing forces more evenly, which can reduce the triggers for grinding. But bruxism is rarely caused by bite alignment alone. Stress, sleep quality, and nervous system factors all play a role, so there’s no guarantee that straighter teeth will stop the habit entirely.
After braces, you’ll have more options for standard night guards since there are no brackets to work around. If grinding persists, a traditional custom night guard from your dentist is a straightforward, long-term solution that protects your newly aligned teeth and the investment you made in orthodontic treatment.