I would think that it could cause jaw and mouth pain. You may want to go to the dentist to get a specific mouth guard that you can't chew through. The dentist or your doctor may be able to give you some neck and mouth exercises that could help loosen those tight muscles. Good luck!

I wake up every morning with tooth and jaw pain.....sometimes if I slowly awaken I notice my jaw is clenched and my husband tells me I grind my teeth at night sometimes. Mt therapist tells me it is because of night and morning anxiety and has recommended getting a mouth guard or seeing the dentist about it....I have yet to do so, although I know I need to before I cause some serious damage to my mouth.

Thank you for your replies. 1panickygirl I'm sorry to hear you are also dealing with this. I just find this so weird. I've had this panic disorder for so long, usually with panic attacks (as if that's not bad enough), but now with my teeth.....I just never imagined it would go this far. Thank you again :)

I have TMJ from anxiety. I clench my teeth day in and day out. My jaw has gotten a lot better tho. I had a night guard made for me by a ears, nose and throat doctor. I would recomment going to a doctor than getting one's from a store. You can't chew thru this night guard. I still clench but it protects my teeth from breaking or getting damaged any other way. Try and get a hold of an ear, nose and throat doctor they see this kind of stuff all the time!

Yes I have the same problem. Here I thought I was just me. I am going to find a dentist in my area so I can have it looked at.

I have the clenching problem. I woke wup with a headache AND a sore jaw every day.
My dentist made me a mouth guard that does not let my top and bottom molars meet to prevent the clenching.
I wear this at night, and it was made for me by using a mold the dentist made in his office.
It's made to my specifications, and the space it leaves between the top and bottom molars is small--its' just large enough that the upper and lower molars don't touch.
This has helped my headaches and jaw pain I kept waking up with in the morning.
I don't know if there is a mouth guard you can wear all day,
It's a good question because I have the headache and jaw pain at the end of the day, too, even though I try to remember not to clench.

I have TMJ disease....and stress increases it's appearance. I clench my jaws in my sleep mostly (probably because during the day I'm awake and catch myself), but I don't grind my teeth. I also have tension headaches....also stress induced. TMJ or the jaw clenching can cause compression fractures in your teeth...I have a broken tooth I believe as a result of this. I am going to the dentist tomorrow for both (the tooth and the tmj).

Yes it certainly can. I saw a oral surgeon years back because my jaw always popped and was tight which gave me headaches... Come to find out the dr said it was caused by chronic muscle tension & that she also believed i grinded my teeth when i slept. I now notice muscle tension is defintely a symptom of my anxiety. I clench my teeth & jaw alot and dont even realize it sometimes. I have muscle tension all over.. and that is something that is caused by my anxiety... If it helps at all the doctor said the treatment for this is to wear a custom mouth guard to sleep with at night to relieve pressure on the jaw.. but custom ones can be pricy. Another thing you can do she recommended to me is touch the tongue to the roof of your mouth to seperate your teeth from clenching and eat softer foods. :)

Yes, I grind my teeth - my dentist can see it very quickly when he has a look. I have been given a mouth guard but I have so many different psych issues and anything that would interrupt my sleep (and I have a bad gag reflex) just isn't possible for me so I've never used it.

But your case seems to me to be above just getting better mouth guards. If it's as extreme as going through so many mouth guards that it makes me wonder do you need a meds tweak (assuming you see a psychiatrist and are on meds) would be in order. It just doesn't sound right to me that your anxiety is having such a huge impact on your physiology while you are asleep. If you're not included to take the meds route then everyone's suggestions about tougher guards could be the way. Just some thoughts.

Hi! Yes, I experience the same symptoms and have TMJ due to anxiety. The best exercise for the jaw is to place a pencil in between your teeth so that it lies horizontally across your mouth. This aligns the jaw bone properly and relieves pressure put on your nerves and muscles. Also, I tell my patients to place a warm pack on their jaw for about 10mins prior to bedtime. This way, the muscle relaxes and tenses much less during sleep. If it is terribly painful, taking 200mg of ibuprofen will calm the inflamed nerve and/or muscles. I hope this helps and I hope you feel better!

Yes I get that too. During the night i clench my jaw so tight and I wake up with jaw and tooth pain.

It is common to clench on your teeth if u have anxiety..
During the day time it is called (Clenching) when its at night its called (Bruxism) ... basically its due to high muscular activity of the closing muscles..
The dentist can take an impression and send to the lab.. so u can have a custom made night guard.. BUT a night guard is made to protect the teeth from attrition not to resolve the problem.
try some muscle relaxant.. and jaw exercise.. they help a lot