Bruxism is the habit of clenching, gnashing or grinding your teeth. Your teeth are not meant to be clenched and in contact all the time; they should only briefly touch each other when you swallow or chew.   When happening during sleep, bruxism is considered as a sleep-related disorder, and people who clench or grind their teeth during sleep ...

Clenching teeth in a stressful situation is common, scientists say, but there’s a related medical condition that’s much more severe. Called bruxism, which means “to gnash the teeth”, it can cause sore jaw muscles and headaches. In severe cases, people can clench hard enough to crack a tooth. Over the long term, bruxism sufferers gnash their tee...