Long workdays have become the norm — both in El Salvador and among the Salvadoran diaspora in the United States. Whether working from home with back-to-back meetings or covering two on-site shifts, the modern work pace is silently affecting your health, often in ways you can't see or hear: by clenching your teeth during the day and night. Bruxism is one of the most underestimated dental diagnoses and, at the same time, one of the most destructive in the long term.
What exactly is bruxism?
Bruxism is the involuntary habit of clenching (centric bruxism) or grinding (eccentric bruxism) the teeth. It can occur during the day — associated with concentration, anxiety, stress or frustration — or during sleep, when the person has no conscious control and episodes can be much more intense. Recent epidemiological studies estimate that between 8% and 30% of adults have it to some degree, and prevalence has increased noticeably since the pandemic and prolonged remote work.
The mechanism: why stress ends up in your teeth
The human body reacts to stress by activating the sympathetic response — what some call "fight or flight." Muscles all over the body tense up, and among the most activated are the masseters and temporalis, the muscles of the jaw. They are extraordinarily powerful muscles: an average person exerts between 20 and 30 kilograms of pressure when chewing, but a bruxer can exert more than 120 kilograms of pressure while sleeping. That sustained force, night after night, wears down enamel, fractures cusps, damages restorations and can compromise the dental nerve.
How do I know if I clench my teeth without realizing it?
These are the most common signs we see at our clinic in San Miguel:
- Tense or sore jaw on waking, with difficulty opening the mouth fully in the first minutes of the day.
- Morning headache, especially in the temples or around the ears.
- Sensitive teeth to cold, heat or sweets, with no apparent cavity.
- Visible wear on incisal edges (front teeth look flat or chipped).
- Unexplained fractures on molars, or inlays and fillings that come loose frequently.
- Clicking or noises in the temporomandibular joint when opening the mouth or chewing.
- Bite marks on the side of the tongue or inside the cheeks.
- Chronically tense neck and shoulders — the chewing muscles are connected with the cervical chain.
Bruxism and pulpal inflammation: when it reaches the nerve
Here's what many patients don't know: when wear exposes the dentin or fractures part of the crown, bacteria can infiltrate and cause irreversible pulpitis — inflammation of the pulp tissue that typically requires a root canal. At Clínica Endodontics we have treated cases where the initial diagnosis was "tooth pain with no apparent cause" and it turned out to be a microfracture invisible to the naked eye, detected only with the endodontic microscope after years of untreated bruxism.
What can you do today?
There are immediate steps you can incorporate into your routine and professional treatments that complement them:
Daytime awareness
During the day, your teeth should only touch when chewing or swallowing. At rest, the lips touch but the teeth are slightly apart. Stick a visual reminder on your monitor: "lips together, teeth apart." Sounds simple, but it works.
Night guard (occlusal splint)
It is the most effective protection against nighttime bruxism. Custom-made by a specialist from a mold of your teeth, it absorbs the clenching force and protects the enamel from wear. It does not "cure" bruxism, but it prevents further damage to the teeth.
Underlying stress management
- Regular cardiovascular exercise (30 min, 3-4 times per week).
- Sleep hygiene: consistent schedule, no screens in the hour before bed.
- Active breaks during the workday.
- Brief breathing or meditation techniques.
Comprehensive dental evaluation
Teeth already compromised by bruxism — with early fractures, worn fillings or chronic sensitivity — require attention before the fracture reaches the nerve and you end up needing a root canal or crown.
The relationship between bruxism and root canals
Untreated bruxism over the years can cause:
- Crown fractures that expose the nerve and require urgent root canal treatment.
- Vertical root fractures that, unfortunately, usually require extraction.
- Occlusal overload that accelerates the need for retreatment in already root-canaled teeth.
- Severe crown wear that forces complete oral rehabilitation.
Diagnosing bruxism in time and treating it protects not only healthy teeth, but also the treatments you already have.
If there is pain or sensitivity, don't wait
Bruxism caught in time is controlled with a night guard and habit adjustments. Bruxism ignored for years ends up requiring root canals, crowns and, in the worst cases, complete oral rehabilitation. At Clínica Endodontics in San Miguel, we evaluate the real damage of your bruxism with digital X-rays and a detailed clinical exam, and recommend the plan that protects your teeth without unnecessary procedures.
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