There are several potential causes for dogs to grind their teeth. The grinding may be a sign of stress or a symptom of an underlying medical condition. Dog teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, is often brought on by discomfort in the dog’s mouth or stomach.

It’s crucial to see your vet since continual grinding may result in more severe issues including fractures, infections, exposed pulp, sore teeth and gums, and wearing out of the enamel. Particularly if your dog’s grinding occurs suddenly and unusually for them.

All dog and cat breeds are susceptible to developing bruxism, which is often brought on by an oral or digestive disease. Although fewer probable causes, stress and worry may nonetheless play a role. Underlying factors might include gastrointestinal pain, malocclusions, broken teeth, oral masses, and mouth ulcerations. 

The enamel on a dog’s teeth runs the danger of being worn away, which might result in more severe dental problems. Fractures, exposed pulp, infections, and sore teeth and gums are a few examples of this. If you suspect that your dog is gnashing her teeth because of anxiety, try to make her surroundings more relaxing and see if that helps.

Do Dogs Grind Their Teeth Under Stress?

Dogs have a keen sense of their surroundings. Any abrupt changes to their habitat or surroundings might be stressful. This might be brought on by shifting homes, a new spouse or child, or domestic strife. Dogs’ discontentment may show itself in a variety of behavioral changes, teeth grinding being one of them.

Malocclusion

Malocclusion occurs when there are misaligned teeth that hinder the jaws from evenly and correctly shutting the teeth together. It is also referred to as an “abnormal bite” in dogs and may be either an underbite or an overbite. The teeth grind unintentionally against one another while the mouth moves normally in malocclusions.

Gastrointestinal Pain

In the same way, that discomfort in the mouth may cause some dogs to grind their teeth, discomfort in the esophagus, stomach, or intestines can have a similar effect. Dogs that experience pain may grind their teeth to calm themselves or to divert their attention from the discomfort.

How to Treat Teeth Grinding

To find out why your dog is grinding its teeth, schedule a consultation with your veterinarian. In addition to doing a physical examination to discover any discomfort elsewhere in the body, your veterinarian will likely inspect your dog’s mouth to look for any dental issues.

If your dog seems to be in excellent physical condition, your veterinarian may inquire about any possible changes to your dog’s routine or surroundings to determine if they may be stress-related. Your veterinarian will suggest a few doable modifications you may make at home to help lessen your dog’s anxiety if it’s most likely stress-related.

Your veterinarian could recommend more testing to assist determine the source of the teeth grinding if pain or stress do not seem to be the cause. Your vet might also prescribe brief pain treatment to see whether the grinding ceases.

Dogs often have dental issues, which may be difficult to diagnose at home. In order to make sure they make the proper diagnosis, the veterinarian will also give them a full physical examination. Your veterinarian may request more testing to see if the issue is with the abdomen or somewhere else in the body if the reason is not shown to be dental or stress-related. 

While trying to find the reason, they could provide short-term pain medication to determine whether this stops the bruxism. Your dog could benefit from having a private area they can withdraw to if the teeth grinding is caused by stress in addition to making practical adjustments to address the reason.

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