Teeth chattering involves involuntary muscle spasms that cause the upper and lower jaws to click together. While often harmless, it can sometimes indicate an underlying issue. Understanding the various reasons behind this phenomenon can provide clarity and guidance.
The Body’s Reflex: How Chattering Works
Teeth chattering is an involuntary physiological response involving the masseter and temporalis muscles, which control jaw movement. These muscles contract and relax rapidly, causing the jaw to twitch and teeth to knock together. This process is triggered by signals from the nervous system.
The body primarily utilizes this reflex for generating heat and as part of a stress response.
Common Reasons for Chattering
One of the most common and usually harmless reasons for teeth chattering is exposure to cold. When the body’s internal temperature drops, shivering activates, involving rapid, involuntary muscle tensing and relaxing throughout the body, including the jaw. This generates heat to raise core body temperature.
Emotional responses like fear, anxiety, or stress can also cause chattering. This is part of the body’s “fight or flight” response, where adrenaline is released, and muscles tense in preparation for perceived danger. This muscle tension can manifest as involuntary tremors, including the chattering of teeth. Intense grinding or clenching of teeth, known as bruxism, often linked to stress, can also result in jaw spasms and chattering.
Chattering as a Symptom: When Illness is Involved
Teeth chattering can also serve as a symptom of an underlying illness or medical condition. When the body fights an infection, it often develops a fever, and chattering can occur as part of “rigors.” During rigors, the body’s temperature rises quickly, accompanied by severe shivering and a sensation of cold, as the body works to increase its core temperature to combat pathogens.
Certain medications can induce tremors or muscle spasms as a side effect, including teeth chattering. These can range from antidepressants and asthma medications to stimulants and some cancer treatments. Chattering may also be associated with neurological disorders affecting muscle control, such as oromandibular dystonia, which causes involuntary contractions in the jaw, face, and mouth muscles. Other conditions like Parkinson’s disease, which involves low levels of certain neurotransmitters, can also manifest with involuntary movements or tremors that include jaw chattering.
When to Be Concerned and What to Do
While teeth chattering is often a benign response to cold or stress, certain accompanying symptoms or persistent occurrences warrant medical attention. If chattering is persistent, occurs without an obvious cause like cold or fear, or is accompanied by other concerning symptoms, it may be advisable to consult a healthcare professional.
Red flags include:
High fever
Confusion
Severe pain
Loss of consciousness
Chattering after a head injury
For common causes, warming up in a cold environment or employing stress reduction techniques like mindfulness or deep-breathing exercises can provide relief. If medication side effects are suspected, discuss alternative dosages or different medicines with a doctor. For bruxism, a dentist might recommend a mouthguard or other treatments to prevent dental damage. Seek professional advice if unsure about the cause or severity of teeth chattering.