My dentist told me i possibly grind or clench my teeth. how do i tell?

You cannot: Teeth grinding or brutism is a central neurologic phenomenon. The only thing we can do is to manage its effects by nighttime bite devises. You can tell by its damaging effects on the surfaces and edges of your teeth and often by the deep notches and receding of your gums.

Ask your dentist: Dentist see signs of grinding that you may not be aware of, especially areas of abnormal wear. Ask your dentist to show you why he/she thinks you are grinding. If you are a grinder, the dentist may make you a plastic guard to wear over your teeth while asleep. After a short time, you can see the wear patterns you will create in the plastic.

Look at the mouth.: Grinders show flat spots called wear facets on the back teeth and/or flat edges of the upper and lower front teeth as well as worn tongue-side surfaces of the upper front teeth. If you are a clencher, not grinder, it can sometimes cause the sides of the tongue to indent matching the shapes of the teeth. Headaches at the temples and muscle soreness at the rear of the jaw can also occur.