Which muscles are involved in teeth grinding?

Bruxism is the grinding your teeth or clenching your jaws. The act of doing this involves several muscles, including the temporomandibular joints, called TMJ, which are the joints and jaw muscles that open and close your mouth. Grinding your teeth can make these muscles tight or sore.

Tooth grinding results from unconscious movement of the primary chewing muscles. Watch the animation to learn about these muscles and tooth grinding.

Several muscles are involved in tooth grinding (bruxism). They are the muscles of the jaw and face, and include the temporalis, masseter, pterygoids, digastric, and stylohyoid muscles. Some doctors believe that by manipulating these muscles while a person lies still, they can reduce the person's tendency to grind.