Today I’d like to talk about how bruxism, or chronic teeth grinding, affects your relationships.

This is going to be an interesting one because when we engage in a habit like daydreaming or teeth grinding — something which we can control — we sometimes just look at the habit itself without considering it as part of a system. We need to look at it from another angle: if I don’t stop this grinding, it will affect other areas of my life.
One of the common areas where our habits, which seem uncontrollable, affect is relationships. So, I’m going to talk about chronic teeth grinding and how it affects your relationships.

First, let’s talk about the logical aspect. The logical aspect of teeth grinding is, of course, you’re hurting your jaws and your teeth. When you hurt your jaw and your teeth, it means that when you are in a relationship, you’ll have a hard time with intimacy because you are in pain.

This affects the physical intimacy of your relationship. When you are about to get physically intimate with your partner, you are in a lot of pain in your jaws, so even things like touching or just cuddling can be hard for you. When there’s no physical intimacy in your relationship, it can lead to more relationship issues. That’s the logical level because you are hurting.

Another aspect on the logical level is the sound you make when you grind your teeth. If you grind your teeth mostly at night, and you are sleeping with someone, that other person may get annoyed with your teeth grinding. They may be a supportive partner, but sometimes they can’t help it.

For instance, if someone is tired from work and just wants to sleep peacefully, your grinding can disturb them. It may reach a point where they avoid staying in the same bed with you because of the noise, and they may want to sleep in a separate room. This can create distance in the relationship. Even if they are very understanding, anything that affects their physical peace can lead them to create distance to protect themselves. This can lead to frustration on both sides because you are unable to stop the grinding.

The other, deeper aspect is that chronic teeth grinding is just a symptom, mostly of unprocessed stress. This unprocessed stress can be a symptom of other issues, such as fear of expressing yourself. Your teeth grinding is a physical manifestation, but behind the scenes, you may be afraid of expressing yourself.

In a relationship where you are afraid of expressing yourself, the relationship will not grow. You may end up entertaining a lot of negative behavior from your partner because you are afraid of expressing yourself, believing that if you do, you’ll be seen as selfish or you’ll hurt someone. You may take things in and bottle up your feelings, leading to anger and resentment. These emotions can manifest in your jaws or other parts of your body, leading to teeth grinding as a way for your mind to release tension.

Uncontrollable habits can affect your relationships both directly, as a consequence of the habit, and indirectly, as a consequence of what is fuelling the habit. That’s why when you look at overcoming your habits, you should not just focus on the surface issue like aligning your jaw. Instead, ask yourself what this habit is trying to tell you or hide from you. You’ll realize that it involves old wounds, and deep healing and transformation come from addressing these underlying issues, not just stopping the teeth grinding or seeing a dentist.

Imagine getting to the point where you’re not grinding your teeth as much. Even when you do grind, you are aware and can stop it. You are expressing yourself, and your relationship improves. You might meet different people, find a better relationship, and grow as a person. The ultimate effect will be living a life of endless possibilities by looking at the habit from a deeper perspective, not just trying to stop it on the surface.

Hope you found that informative, guys. Feel free to share your views, comments, and some of the ways your relationships are being affected by chronic teeth grinding.