Hey guys, today I’m going to answer this question: Why do you clench or grind your teeth when you are angry?

Actually, yesterday I was working with a client who has been grinding chronically for about 20 years. After our session, we realized that the primary cause of his clenching was anger — anger with himself for not making progress in life. Instead of releasing this anger, he held onto it. Emotions can be stored in our muscles, and for many people, especially those who grind, this tension is held in the jaw.

Releasing Pent-up Emotions

When we released the emotion, the client realized that he no longer needed the anger. Sometimes, we hold onto emotions because they serve a purpose at the time. For example, if you grew up in a household with an alcoholic father and felt anger to protect yourself, you might continue to hold onto that anger even after leaving that environment. This unprocessed anger remains in the jaw, causing grinding and clenching.

There is a connection between physical behavior and emotions because we store emotions in our bodies. Clenching and grinding can be triggered by anger because the mind is used to suppressing it in the jaw area. To release the tension, you end up grinding. Dealing with and releasing these underlying emotions can help reduce chronic grinding. You may still grind occasionally, but it won’t be chronic because it won’t be triggered by unprocessed anger.

Releasing stuck emotions allows you to experience present emotions without them being mirrors of past emotions. After our session, the client’s grinding was still present but not as chronic or intense because the anger held in the jaw had been released. Anger and grinding can go hand in hand because we often keep our anger instead of releasing it.

I hope you found that informative. I’ll share a testimonial about this later on. If you found this helpful, feel free to share, comment, and follow. Until next time, have a nice day!

Note from the Author

If you’re ready and you’d like my help with overcoming chronic teeth grinding and clenching habits for Improved Oral Health and Reduced Stress, then you can book a FREE BREAKTHROUGH CALL with me HERE. Happy healing 💙💙. Feel free to share and comment! Use this information with caution, it comes from my own thoughts & bias, experiences and research😊.

Disclaimer: I am not a Dentist, but as a therapist specializing in offering support and guidance in addressing the psychological factors contributing to bruxism.