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MARQUETTE -- Teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, is a habitual grinding or clenching of the teeth.

It’s believed to be a subconscious release of stress that typically occurs while we're asleep and according to The Academy of General Dentistry (http://www.agd.org/public/oralhealth/default.asp?issID=292&topic=b&artid=1137), one in three people suffer with the problem.

Symptoms include:
- Damaged teeth
- Soreness of mouth or jaw
- Headaches

“I was waking up with jaw pain…it was so bad I couldn't go back to sleep,” says Kary Sheldon. “It persisted everyday for two weeks. I made an appointment, came in, they told me that I was definitely grinding my teeth in my sleep.”

Dentist Gwendolyn Buck says “once the tooth structure is gone, it’s never coming back” and artificial replacements will never be “as good as the natural tooth.”

Buck explains the best way to take the bite out of the issue is by sleeping with a mouth guard.

“That’s a piece of plastic that's custom fitted to go over the teeth,” the dentist says. “Depending on a patient's needs, it might be covering all of their teeth or they might be just covering the front.”