How to Stop Grinding Your Teeth at Night: What Actually Works

How to stop grinding teeth at night comes down to three jobs, because no treatment has been shown to switch sleep grinding off for good. First, you can lower how often it happens by cutting the triggers. Second, you can stop it when a specific cause is driving it. Finally, you can protect your teeth from the damage while it goes on.

Below you'll find what the research says about each fix, which popular tips have no studies behind them, what each option costs, and which bills your dental or medical insurance will help with.

Key Takeaways

Can You Actually Stop Grinding Your Teeth?

Not on command. Sleep grinding, which dentists call sleep bruxism, happens in the jaw muscles while you're asleep, and Cleveland Clinic (opens in a new tab) puts it plainly: you can't just will it to stop. An international group of bruxism researchers looked at this question in 2018. They concluded that in otherwise healthy people, it's a behavior that can be a risk factor for some problems, not a disorder in itself (Lobbezoo et al., Journal of Oral Rehabilitation (opens in a new tab)).

It's also common. In a survey of 13,057 people aged 15 and older in the UK, Germany and Italy, 8.2% said they ground their teeth in their sleep at least once a week. Half of them had consequences such as jaw discomfort on waking or dental work (Ohayon et al., Chest, 2001 (opens in a new tab)).

The treatments tested so far haven't switched it off. For example, Cochrane reviews found insufficient evidence that occlusal splints (opens in a new tab) (2007) or medicines (opens in a new tab) (2014) treat sleep bruxism. Similarly, a 2014 review of biofeedback (opens in a new tab) found no strong evidence. On the other hand, Mayo Clinic (opens in a new tab) notes that many adults don't grind hard enough to need treatment at all, and many children outgrow it.

So the practical answer to how to stop grinding teeth is three separate jobs:

1. Lower the triggers. Alcohol, smoking, caffeine and stress are linked to more grinding.
2. Treat a cause, if there is one. This is the only route where grinding can actually stop. A medicine side effect is the clearest example.
3. Protect your teeth. A night guard takes the wear while the grinding goes on.

Why Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night?

Nobody can name the cause for any one person, but large studies point to the same set of risk factors. For example, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (opens in a new tab) (NIDCR) lists stress, genetics, alcohol, caffeine, smoking and certain medicines, including ones for depression, seizures and ADHD.

The 2001 survey put numbers on several of them. Specifically, people with obstructive sleep apnea and heavy drinkers had 1.8 times the odds of reporting sleep grinding. Similarly, caffeine drinkers and loud snorers had 1.4 times the odds. Finally, smokers, people with a highly stressful life and people with anxiety each had 1.3 times the odds.

A 2016 systematic review in the Journal of the American Dental Association (opens in a new tab) found a similar pattern. Drinkers had almost double the odds and current smokers more than double. People who drank more than eight cups of coffee a day had about 1.5 times the odds. However, the authors called the evidence limited. These are associations, so they don't prove that cutting back will stop your grinding.

Medicines That Can Trigger Grinding

In addition, some antidepressants are a known trigger. For example, a 2018 review of published case reports (opens in a new tab) in Neurology: Clinical Practice found that fluoxetine, sertraline and venlafaxine were the drugs most often involved. Symptoms tended to start within three to four weeks of beginning the medicine. Similarly, they could clear up within three to four weeks of stopping it, switching to another drug, or adding a second medicine called buspirone. Still, nobody knows how often this happens.

If your grinding or jaw pain started soon after a new prescription, tell the doctor who prescribed it. Above all, don't stop or change the medicine on your own.

How to Stop Grinding Teeth: What Each Option Does and Costs

Each option below gets two separate questions: does it reduce the grinding itself, and does it protect your teeth? After that come the typical cost and who usually pays.

On the other hand, some tips you'll see everywhere have no studies behind them, including sleeping on your back and resting your tongue on the roof of your mouth. They're free and unlikely to hurt, so trying them is reasonable. Still, don't count on them if your teeth are already wearing down.

Does a Night Guard Stop Grinding?

No. A guard keeps your top and bottom teeth apart, so the grinding wears the plastic instead of your enamel. Mayo Clinic says splints and mouth guards can stop the damage but may not stop bruxism. Likewise, the 2007 Cochrane review found no proof they treat it, though they may help with tooth wear.

That still makes a guard worth having if you already see wear, chipping or morning jaw soreness. In general, prices fall into three tiers: $15 to $50 for a drugstore boil-and-bite, about $95 to $235 for a custom guard from an online lab, and $300 to $800 or more from a dentist. Our night guard cost guide breaks those prices down, and our comparison of custom and boil-and-bite guards explains why a cheap guard that fits badly can backfire. For the full picture of types and coverage, start with our night guard guide.

If you clench more than you grind, material matters more than thickness. In that case, our guide to night guards for clenching covers why a hard guard usually beats a soft one, and our best night guard picks compare specific products.

See a dentist before ordering online if you already have cracked teeth, a crown or bridge that needs to be protected, jaw pain or locking, or a bite that feels off. After all, a guard from a lab can't check for any of those.

When Should You See a Dentist or Doctor?

Mayo Clinic's symptom list (opens in a new tab) is a good checklist. It includes flattened, chipped or loose teeth, tooth pain or sensitivity, and a tired or locked jaw. It also lists jaw, neck or face pain, an earache-like pain, and a dull headache at the temples. If you have any of these, or a partner hears you grinding, see your dentist. After that, who you see depends on the likely cause:

• Your dentist for tooth wear, damage, and fitting or checking a guard.
• A sleep medicine specialist if you snore loudly, stop breathing or gasp at night, or feel sleepy all day. Mayo Clinic says a sleep study can check for grinding and for sleep apnea at the same time.
• Your prescriber if the grinding began after a new medicine.
• A mental health professional if stress or anxiety seems to drive it.

For children, however, Mayo Clinic's advice is simpler: mention it at the next dental appointment.

What Does Insurance Pay For?

Grinding sits on the line between dental and medical care, so the bills split between two kinds of insurance.

• Night guard (dental plan). Some dental plans cover a guard and many don't. Where a plan does, it usually pays about 50% of its allowed amount after the deductible, often once every three to five years. A covered guard from a dentist still commonly costs $150 to $500 out of pocket. Our guides to what dental plans cover, night guard cost with insurance and getting a claim approved go through the rules, and our explainer on occlusal guards covers the billing codes.
• Sleep study (medical plan). Medicare Part B (opens in a new tab) covers sleep tests when you have clinical signs and symptoms of sleep apnea, and you pay 20% of the approved amount after the Part B deductible. Private medical plans set their own rules, so check before you book.
• Therapy and medicine reviews (medical plan). These are ordinary medical visits.
• Botox (usually you). Cleveland Clinic notes it isn't FDA-approved for bruxism and may not be covered by insurance. So get the price in writing first.
• HSA or FSA money. A night guard qualifies, whether it comes from a dentist or an online lab.

Daytime Clenching Is a Different Habit

Grinding or clenching while you're awake is called awake bruxism, and NIDCR says it's more common than the sleep kind. Because you're conscious, habit change can work here in a way it can't at night. Mayo Clinic suggests asking your dentist to show you the best resting position for your mouth and jaw, then setting reminders through the day to check it. For more on clenching, see our guide to night guards for clenching.

The Bottom Line

If you want to know how to stop grinding teeth, start with the parts you control: evening alcohol and caffeine, smoking, stress, and any new medicine. Then get checked for sleep apnea if you snore or wake up tired. Finally, protect your teeth with a guard once you see wear, and see a dentist first if you have damage or jaw pain.

This guide is for information only and isn't medical or dental advice. Persistent jaw pain, tooth damage or suspected sleep apnea should be checked by a dentist or doctor.

Sources

• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research: Bruxism (reviewed March 2025)
• Mayo Clinic: Teeth grinding (bruxism), diagnosis and treatment
• Mayo Clinic: Teeth grinding (bruxism), symptoms and causes
• Cleveland Clinic: 7 Tips To Stop Grinding Your Teeth at Night (March 2026)
• Lobbezoo F et al. International consensus on the assessment of bruxism. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, 2018
• Ohayon MM, Li KK, Guilleminault C. Risk factors for sleep bruxism in the general population. Chest, 2001
• Bertazzo-Silveira E et al. Association between sleep bruxism and alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and drug abuse. JADA, 2016
• Macedo CR et al. Occlusal splints for treating sleep bruxism. Cochrane, 2007
• Macedo CR et al. Pharmacotherapy for sleep bruxism. Cochrane, 2014
• Wang LF et al. Biofeedback treatment for sleep bruxism: a systematic review. Sleep and Breathing, 2014
• Garrett AR, Hawley JS. SSRI-associated bruxism: a systematic review of published case reports. Neurology: Clinical Practice, 2018
• Błaszczyk B et al. Sleep bruxism may be not associated with obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2024
• Pereira KK et al. Possible association between obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and sleep bruxism in adults. Sleep Medicine, 2026
• Yacoub S et al. Efficacy of botulinum toxin type A in bruxism management. Dental and Medical Problems, 2025
• Alkhatatbeh MJ et al. Self-reported sleep bruxism is associated with vitamin D deficiency. BMC Oral Health, 2021
• Manfredini D et al. Prevalence of sleep bruxism in children: a systematic review. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, 2013
• Medicare.gov: Sleep studies