My partner grinds their teeth at night — what can I do?

Start with what your partner actually noticed

Ask what the sound was like, roughly when it happened, and whether it has happened on more than one night. Keep the report in their words, such as “I heard a repeated scraping sound after midnight,” rather than jumping to “you have bruxism.” A sound in a bedroom can come from teeth, bedding, snoring, movement, a bed frame or another source.

Try to make this a calm conversation, not a request for your partner to stay awake and monitor you. A few ordinary observations are enough to bring to a dental appointment. Your partner does not need to identify or count every possible event.

A partner's report is one clue, not a diagnosis

Sleep bruxism is jaw-muscle activity during sleep. Some activity may make an audible grinding sound, while clenching or other jaw-muscle activity may be quiet. A sound report cannot show how much force was involved, establish which person made it, or confirm the cause.

The 2025 international consensus distinguishes subject-based reports, clinical examination and device-based assessment. They provide different kinds of information rather than interchangeable proof. A partner's observation can help describe what was heard; a dentist can consider it alongside symptoms and an examination.

If you are also waking with jaw discomfort, tooth sensitivity, a headache or noticing tooth damage, write down that detail separately. Read other clues that may be worth discussing.

Keep a short, neutral note

For each observation, record the date, an approximate time if known, what your partner heard, and any symptom you noticed the next morning. Include uncertainty: “possible grinding, not sure” is more accurate than labeling a sound as a confirmed event.

Do not interpret the number or loudness of sounds as a measure of severity or damage. If you want a simple format, use the teeth-grinding sleep diary. It is an informal note-taking aid, not a clinical questionnaire.

If you record, agree on bedroom audio first

A phone microphone may pick up both people, conversations, movement and other private sounds. Talk about recording before you start. Decide together what will be recorded, where clips will be stored, who may listen, and whether anything will be shared. Avoid recording someone who has not agreed, and do not share a bedroom clip without the people recorded agreeing to it.

If you both choose to make a recording, place the phone on a stable, uncovered bedside surface and check that the session is running. Do not put a charging phone under bedding. Try to keep placement and obvious background noise similar if you are comparing nights. See the step-by-step phone recording guide for more setup details.

Before using an app, check what it records, where audio is processed or stored, and whether it keeps a continuous recording or only selected clips. With GrindMute, possible sounds are analyzed on the phone and short clips are saved for review. Recordings are not uploaded automatically. You can choose to share a clip yourself.

What a phone recording can and cannot tell you

A recording can preserve an audible moment near the phone so you or your partner can listen again. An app may flag sounds that resemble grinding and save shorter clips. Either approach can capture unrelated sounds or miss quiet activity, and a phone recording cannot detect silent clenching reliably.

A clip also cannot confirm who made the sound or diagnose sleep bruxism. Listen with context and label anything uncertain as uncertain. Read what a phone can detect and where its limits are.

When should you talk to a dentist?

The NHS advises seeing a dentist if a partner says you grind your teeth in your sleep. It also recommends dental advice for tooth damage or sensitivity, or pain in the jaw, face or ear. You do not need to prove the cause with an app or make a recording before asking.

Bring your partner's description, any symptoms you have noticed, and relevant observations or clips only if you both are comfortable sharing them. A dentist can decide whether examination or another kind of assessment is useful. If there are separate concerns about breathing or sleep, describe those to a healthcare professional too; a grinding sound alone cannot assess them.

For help preparing, read when to talk to a dentist about teeth grinding.

Sources and editorial notes

• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research: Bruxism signs, assessment and sleep studies
• NHS: Teeth grinding, partner observations and when to see a dentist
• International consensus on updated bruxism definitions and assessment, 2025
• GrindMute Privacy Policy

This guide is general information, not a clinical assessment or medical advice. It was prepared by GrindMute Editorial, has not been medically reviewed and reflects the product's documented behavior as of October 25, 2026. Read our editorial standards and correction process.