bruxism

American

[bruhk-siz-uhm] / ˈbrʌk sɪz əm /

noun

Pathology.

teeth grinding.

bruxism British

/ ˈbrʌksɪzəm /

noun

the habit of grinding the teeth, esp unconsciously

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bruxism Scientific

/ brŭk′sĭz′əm /

The habitual, involuntary grinding or clenching of the teeth, usually during sleep and sometimes associated wth stress.

Etymology

Origin of bruxism

1935–40; < Greek *brȳx ( is ) a gnashing of teeth ( brȳ́k ( ein ) to gnash, bite + -sis -sis ) + -ism

Vocabulary lists containing bruxism

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

bruxism

Conditions that affect the central nervous system, such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease or stroke, can cause or exacerbate bruxism.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 20, 2022

While bruxism can be hard to remedy, the following may help:

From Washington Post ● Jun. 20, 2022

Other factors that may increase bruxism are poor sleep hygiene and bad posture.

From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2021

Treating bruxism in this instance would be treating the effect rather than the cause.

From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2021

While teeth grinding, or bruxism, caused by clenched jaw muscles, does occur while you’re awake, sleep bruxism is more difficult to treat, as many patients are unaware that they even have the problem.

From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2018

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023