{"id":5654,"date":"2026-02-13T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/?p=5654"},"modified":"2026-10-22T21:42:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T19:42:28","slug":"bruxism-headache-jaw-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/bruxism\/bruxism-headache-jaw-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"\ud83e\udd15 Waking up with a headache or jaw pain? Bruxism could be wearing down your teeth in V\u00e9lez-M\u00e1laga \ud83d\ude2c"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The alarm goes off in <strong>V\u00e9lez-M\u00e1laga<\/strong>. You open your eyes and, instead of feeling rested, you notice pressure in your temples, a stiff neck or tired facial muscles, as if you had been chewing gum all night. It could be bruxism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sound familiar? You&#8217;re not alone. Today&#8217;s pace of life and stress have sent cases of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/dental-care\/what-is-bruxism-and-what-is-its-treatment\/\">bruxism<\/a><\/strong> soaring: the involuntary habit of clenching or grinding your teeth, usually while you sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The problem is that, because it happens unconsciously, many patients at <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/clinic\/\">Acosta Cubero Dental Clinic<\/a><\/strong> don&#8217;t know they have it until the damage is already visible. Today we explain how to spot this &#8220;silent enemy&#8221; and, most importantly, how to stop it. \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. What exactly is bruxism? \ud83e\uddb7\ud83d\udca5<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a parafunction (a movement with no useful purpose) in which the chewing muscles contract with excessive force, pressing the upper teeth against the lower ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sheer force:<\/strong> to give you an idea, when you chew you apply around 20-30 kg of force. When you grind at night, you can exert more than 100 kg of pressure! Your teeth aren&#8217;t designed to withstand that constant load night after night.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Warning signs: take a look in the mirror \ud83e\ude9e<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you suspect you clench your teeth, look out for these details:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>&#8220;Flat&#8221; teeth:<\/strong> canines should end in a point and incisors should have well-defined edges. If your teeth look straight across, as if they had been filed down, it&#8217;s a clear sign of wear caused by bruxism.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cracks and fractures:<\/strong> sometimes the enamel can&#8217;t take the pressure and cracks, or small pieces of molars or fillings chip off for no apparent reason.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tooth sensitivity:<\/strong> as the enamel wears away, the dentine is exposed and you feel sharp twinges with cold or heat (we explain more in our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/dental-care\/tooth-sensitivity-origin-causes-and-treatment\/\">tooth sensitivity<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Clicking when you open your mouth:<\/strong> does your jaw click when you yawn or eat? It&#8217;s a sign that the joint (TMJ) is under strain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. The night guard: your protective shield \ud83d\udee1\ufe0f<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most effective and conservative solution is an <strong>occlusal splint or night guard (Michigan type)<\/strong>. Many patients confuse it with sports mouthguards or clear aligners, but it&#8217;s nothing like them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>How does it work?<\/strong> It&#8217;s a rigid resin device, custom-made at our clinic in <strong>V\u00e9lez-M\u00e1laga<\/strong>, which you wear over your upper teeth while you sleep.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Its mission:<\/strong> it has two vital functions. First, it acts as a physical barrier so that, if you clench, you wear down the plastic and not your teeth. Second, and more importantly, its technical design &#8220;tricks&#8221; your brain into relaxing the muscles and placing the jaw in a truly restful position.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The result:<\/strong> you stop wearing down your teeth and wake up without muscle pain or headaches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Extra relief: orofacial harmonisation \ud83d\udc89<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As specialists in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/treatments\/orofacial-harmonization\/\">orofacial harmonisation<\/a><\/strong>, in very severe cases of bruxism where the masseter muscle (the one in your cheek) is very enlarged and strong, we can apply specific relaxing treatments to reduce that muscle&#8217;s power. This not only relieves tension but also slims the face (which often looks &#8220;wide&#8221; in people who grind their teeth).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Protect your smile in V\u00e9lez-M\u00e1laga \ud83d\udccd<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tooth enamel doesn&#8217;t grow back. Whatever you wear away is lost for good. Don&#8217;t let stress eat away at your smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you wake up in pain or notice your teeth changing shape, come and see us at <strong>Acosta Cubero Dental Clinic<\/strong>. <a href=\"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/book-your-appointment\/\">Book your appointment<\/a> and we&#8217;ll design a custom night guard so your teeth stay safe and you get the rest you deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sleeping well and smiling better is possible!<\/strong> \ud83d\ude34\u2728<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The alarm goes off in V\u00e9lez-M\u00e1laga. You open your eyes and, instead of feeling rested, you notice pressure in your temples, a stiff neck or tired facial muscles, as if you had been chewing gum all night. It could be bruxism. Sound familiar? You&#8217;re not alone. Today&#8217;s pace of life and stress have sent cases [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[111,73,72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bruxism","category-dental-prevention","category-oral-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5654"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5661,"href":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5654\/revisions\/5661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acostacubero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}