Do Gamers Clench Their Teeth? What New Research Says About Gaming and Awake Bruxism

Medically reviewed by

Greg Grillo, DDS

Players in that high-frequency group were also considerably more likely to report clenching and daily mandibular pain.

But if you've ever finished a long gaming session and realized your jaw was tight, your teeth had been pressed together, or you'd been clenching without noticing it, the experience may not be unusual.

Here's what the emerging research tells us.

What Is Awake Bruxism?

Most people associate teeth grinding with sleep.

Dentistry, however, distinguishes between sleep bruxism and awake bruxism.

Current international consensus describes awake bruxism as masticatory muscle activity occurring while a person is awake. It can involve repetitive or sustained tooth contact as well as bracing or thrusting of the jaw.

That distinction matters because awake bruxism doesn't always look like the dramatic grinding people associate with nighttime teeth grinding.

You might simply be:

• holding your upper and lower teeth together for extended periods
• clenching during moments of concentration or stress
• tightening or bracing your jaw without your teeth necessarily touching
• repeatedly pressing your teeth together without realizing it

And because you're awake when it happens, these behaviors can potentially continue through work, studying, gaming, driving or other activities requiring prolonged concentration.

Importantly, modern bruxism research does not automatically classify bruxism itself as a disease. Rather, bruxism is generally understood as a behavior that may become clinically relevant depending on its frequency, intensity and consequences.

What should your jaw feel like at rest?

Think of your jaw's resting posture as the baseline: lips together, teeth apart, muscles relaxed. There's a small natural gap between your upper and lower teeth called the freeway space. Brief tooth contact while talking, swallowing or chewing is normal and nothing to worry about.

What makes it worth watching isn't a single moment of contact; it's the pattern. Is the contact held rather than brief? Is there real force behind it instead of a light touch? Is it happening repeatedly through a session, or across most sessions? And does soreness or tension linger after you've stopped playing?

One tense match doesn't mean much on its own. A jaw that's routinely sore or tight after gaming is a different story, and worth paying attention to.

What Researchers Are Finding in Esports Players

Until recently, there was remarkably little research specifically examining awake bruxism in esports.

That is changing.

A 2026 study of 447 esports players

A study published in Scientific Reports in June 2026 examined self-reported awake-bruxism behaviors among 447 esports players in São Paulo, Brazil.

Researchers divided participants into lower- and higher-frequency awake-bruxism groups.

They found that 35% of participants met their criterion for frequent awake bruxism.

Among players classified in the high-frequency group:

• 46.7% reported clenching, compared with 9.1% of the lower-frequency group.
• 39.1% reported daily mandibular pain, compared with 7.2% of the lower-frequency group.

Researchers also found associations between the frequency of awake-bruxism behaviors and factors including previous awake-bruxism history, psychological distress and gastrointestinal symptoms.

The authors described awake bruxism in esports as a multifactorial phenomenon influenced by psychosocial and contextual factors.

Another 2026 study found awake-bruxism behaviors were common

A separate study published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation in 2026 examined 239 esports players.

Researchers assessed several behaviors associated with awake bruxism, including:

• grinding
• clenching
• light tooth contact
• jaw bracing

Overall, 89.1% of participants reported at least some awake-bruxism-related behavior, although this should not be interpreted as meaning 89.1% had clinically significant bruxism.

Light tooth contact was the most frequently reported behavior.

The researchers also examined psychological and behavioral factors. Higher levels of nomophobia—a term used to describe distress or anxiety related to being without access to a mobile phone—were associated with greater frequency of awake-bruxism behaviors in the study.

Anxiety and nomophobia were also strongly correlated.

Again, these findings show associations rather than proof that one factor causes another. But taken together with the other emerging esports research, they reinforce an important point:

Jaw behaviors may be an overlooked part of gaming health.

Gaming, stress and jaw symptoms

A third 2026 study, published in Computers in Human Behavior, examined esports players and streamers for bruxism, temporomandibular disorders (TMD), psychosocial factors and gaming habits.

The researchers reported associations among gaming-related variables, stress and oral parafunctional behaviors. Longer daily gaming time was linked with higher stress and oral parafunctions.

This research fits into a broader picture of esports health.

A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis examining pain among esports players found substantial levels of musculoskeletal pain across the studies it analyzed, particularly involving the spine, neck and upper extremities.

The jaw hasn't historically received nearly as much attention as the wrists, neck, shoulders and back in conversations about gaming ergonomics.

That may be changing.

Why Might Someone Clench While Gaming?

There probably isn't one answer.

Awake bruxism is considered multifactorial, meaning a variety of biological, psychological and behavioral factors may contribute to it.

Gaming can combine several conditions that researchers are interested in studying:

• Sustained concentration. Competitive games can require long periods of intense visual attention and rapid decision-making.
• Psychological arousal. Ranked matches, tournaments and high-stakes situations can create excitement, frustration or stress.
• Long sessions. Competitive players and streamers may remain engaged in the same activity for extended periods.
• Habit. Someone who already tends to clench when concentrating may carry that behavior into gaming.

None of these factors proves that gaming causes bruxism.

In fact, one of the strongest predictors identified in the 447-player study was a previous history of awake bruxism.

In other words, gaming may sometimes be an environment in which an existing tendency becomes noticeable rather than the original cause of that tendency.

That's a much more useful way to think about the issue.

The Gaming Moment You Might Not Notice

Awake-bruxism behaviors can be unconscious, which makes awareness particularly relevant.

One simple exercise is to check your jaw periodically during a gaming session.

Ask yourself:

• Are my teeth touching right now?
• Am I clenching?
• Am I holding tension in my jaw?
• Do my jaw muscles feel different after several hours of play?

The goal isn't to become anxious about every moment of tooth contact. It's simply to notice whether you're repeatedly maintaining jaw tension without realizing it.

Signs Your Gaming Clenching May Be Worth Discussing With a Dentist

Occasional jaw tension doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong.

However, persistent symptoms deserve attention.

Potential signs that warrant a conversation with a dentist can include:

• regularly catching yourself clenching or grinding while awake
• jaw muscle fatigue or soreness
• tenderness around the jaw or chewing muscles
• tooth sensitivity
• unexplained tooth wear, flattening, chipping or damage
• repeatedly waking with jaw discomfort
• difficulty or discomfort when opening or moving the jaw
• persistent facial or jaw pain

A few additional signs are worth watching for, particularly for gamers: clicking, popping or a catching feeling in the jaw joint; visible enlargement of the masseter muscle over time; scalloped edges on the tongue, or a ridge along the inner cheek, both of which can point to habitual pressure; and pain that radiates to the ear or temple, or headaches that tend to show up after long sessions.

A dentist can evaluate your teeth, jaw and individual risk factors and determine whether additional evaluation or management is appropriate.

What Can Gamers Do About Daytime Clenching?

Because awake bruxism is a behavior rather than a simple disease with one cause, there isn't a universal solution.

A 2026 systematic review of awake-bruxism management examined nine studies involving 165 participants. Researchers found that the available evidence remains limited, but behavioral approaches showed potential benefits.

Strategies studied included biofeedback, habit reversal, reminder prompts, counseling and self-management approaches.

A previous systematic review of biofeedback also found some evidence that auditory and visual feedback could reduce excessive masticatory muscle activity, although the authors emphasized limitations in the available studies.

1. Build jaw awareness into your gaming routine

   Periodically notice whether you're clenching. A simple visual reminder near your monitor—or an occasional phone reminder—can prompt you to check your jaw position without interrupting play.

2. Take regular breaks

   Gaming-related health research already emphasizes breaks for the neck, back, wrists and eyes. Your jaw can be part of that check-in. Stand up, move around and notice whether you've been holding tension in your face or jaw.

3. Pay attention to patterns

   Does your clenching happen during ranked games but not casual play? During difficult boss fights? When you're streaming? During the final minutes of close matches? Recognizing patterns can make an unconscious behavior easier to identify.

4. Consider stress and recovery

   Psychological factors have repeatedly been associated with awake bruxism, including in the recent esports research. Sleep, stress management, exercise and recovery won't necessarily eliminate clenching, but they're relevant pieces of the broader health picture.

5. Talk to a dental professional if the behavior is frequent or causing problems

   If you're experiencing persistent pain, tooth wear or frequent clenching, professional evaluation matters. A dentist can help determine whether the symptoms are actually related to bruxism and whether behavioral strategies, an oral appliance or another approach makes sense for you.

Where Do Daytime Mouth Guards Fit?

For people who grind or clench while awake, a custom daytime guard can provide a protective barrier between the teeth and may help reduce the jaw tension and discomfort associated with clenching. Some users also report improvement in symptoms such as jaw pain or headaches, although individual experiences vary.

An oral appliance doesn't necessarily stop the underlying bruxism behavior. Its primary role is to protect the teeth and reduce the effects of grinding and clenching.

A daytime guard protects your teeth. It doesn't treat the behavior behind the clenching. It gives clenching or light contact something other than enamel to wear against, and takes some of the load off the muscles and joints.

What it doesn't do is retrain those muscles or address whatever psychological or situational factors are driving the clenching in the first place. Some people do clench less simply because they notice they're wearing something, but that's a side benefit, not a fix for the root cause.

It's also not the right first step for everyone. Locking, real trouble opening the jaw, or acute joint pain need a diagnosis before anyone reaches for an appliance.

Fit matters too: a poorly fitted guard can shift the bite or irritate the joint instead of helping it. That's why a custom device following a professional exam can be preferable to something off the shelf, and why it works best as one part of a plan that includes the awareness and behavioral strategies above.

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If grinding or clenching is causing persistent pain, headaches, tooth damage or other symptoms, a dental professional can help determine the cause and whether an oral appliance is appropriate.

Esports Health Is Expanding Beyond Wrists and Posture

The conversation about gamer health has changed considerably as esports has become more professional.

Ergonomics, wrist health, posture, sleep, nutrition, exercise and mental health are increasingly treated as legitimate performance and wellness considerations.

Oral health deserves a place in that conversation, too.

The evidence is still developing. We don't yet know whether esports players experience clinically significant awake bruxism at higher rates than comparable non-gaming populations, and the existing studies don't establish that gaming causes bruxism.

Those are important limitations.

But we now have multiple studies specifically identifying awake-bruxism behaviors, jaw-related symptoms and relevant psychosocial factors within esports populations.

For players, the takeaway doesn't need to be alarming.

It's much simpler:

The next time you're deep into a match, check your jaw.

You may be paying close attention to what's happening on the screen while completely overlooking what your teeth are doing.