Life Insurance With Bruxism
A great many people grind their teeth and most find out when a dentist points out the wear.
On its own it is a dental matter rather than a medical one, which means the history lives somewhere most insurance questions do not ask about.
What makes it worth care is what sits either side of it: the jaw, and the stress.
The short answer
Bruxism is grinding or clenching the teeth, often during sleep, and most of it is managed by a dentist with a night splint. Two things make it worth a form entry rather than nothing: it frequently causes or accompanies jaw joint problems, and the stress or anxiety often behind it is a more substantial entry in its own right.
What it is
Bruxism is involuntary grinding or clenching of the teeth. Sleep bruxism happens during sleep and people are often unaware of it; awake bruxism is usually clenching during concentration or stress.
It causes tooth wear, sensitivity, headaches and aching jaw muscles. It is commonly managed with a custom night splint made by a dentist, alongside addressing stress, caffeine and alcohol. It is also associated with sleep disorders including sleep apnoea, and with some medications.
Why it comes up on an application
- Most management is dental, so it may not appear in a GP record at all. Declare it anyway if asked about conditions or treatment.
- A custom night splint is a dental appliance and worth naming, because it indicates a diagnosed and actively managed problem.
- Temporomandibular joint disorder frequently accompanies it and has its own page here. If you have jaw pain, clicking or locking, that is the larger entry.
- Stress and anxiety often sit behind the clenching, and if either has been treated, that treatment is a materially more substantial entry with its own page.
- Sleep bruxism is associated with sleep apnoea, so if you snore heavily or have been told you stop breathing, that is worth a separate answer.
- Some medications, certain antidepressants among them, can cause or worsen grinding, which makes the medication question relevant.
- Extensive dental work to repair wear is a treatment history, though dental treatment is not usually what a medical form is asking about.
What we would ask you
- Whether you grind at night, clench while awake, or both
- Whether you have a night splint or have had dental treatment for wear
- Whether you have jaw pain, clicking or locking
- Whether you have been treated for stress or anxiety
- Whether you snore heavily or have ever been assessed for sleep apnoea
- Whether you are currently off work or working reduced hours because of an accident, injury or illness
- Whether you are waiting on any medical tests, appointments or treatment
- Whether you have been diagnosed with or treated for cancer in the last five years
- Whether a parent, brother or sister was diagnosed with cancer, heart disease or a stroke before 65
- Any medication you take
- Whether you smoke, and your date of birth
Two Things Sit Either Side Of This
Bruxism on its own is a small entry. What makes it worth answering carefully is its neighbours.
On one side is the jaw joint. Grinding loads the temporomandibular joints and the muscles around them, and TMJ disorder frequently accompanies it: pain, clicking, locking and restricted opening. That is a bigger entry and it has its own page here.
On the other side is stress. Clenching is commonly a physical expression of it, and if you have been treated for stress or anxiety, with therapy or medication, that is a substantially more significant part of your history than the grinding. Our page on depression and anxiety covers what we would ask.
The Snoring Question Is Not Random
If a form or an adviser asks about snoring when you have mentioned grinding, there is a reason.
Sleep bruxism is associated with obstructive sleep apnoea, where the airway repeatedly closes during sleep. Apnoea is a considerably more substantial condition, with recognised cardiovascular associations, and it is diagnosed with a sleep study and often treated with a CPAP machine.
So if you snore heavily, have been told you stop breathing, or wake unrefreshed and sleepy during the day, say so. That answer is worth considerably more on an application than the grinding, and our page on insomnia and sleep disorders covers how it is investigated.
Which cover is relevant
The usual starting point, and grinding itself is not a factor. Any treated anxiety, and any sleep apnoea, sit in the picture instead.
Pays on diagnosis of a listed serious condition, and this is not one. Worth having for the risks it does cover.
Replaces earnings if illness or injury stops you working. Relevant mainly through the jaw pain and headaches, which for some people are genuinely disruptive.
Common questions
Do I need to declare teeth grinding?+
Answer what you are asked. If you have a diagnosed problem with a night splint, say so, even though it is dental rather than medical and may not be in your GP record. On its own it is a small entry.
Does my night splint count as treatment?+
It is worth naming. A custom splint made by a dentist indicates a diagnosed and actively managed problem, which is more informative than saying you grind your teeth.
Why are you asking about snoring?+
Because sleep bruxism is associated with obstructive sleep apnoea, which is a considerably more substantial condition with recognised cardiovascular associations. If you snore heavily or have been told you stop breathing, that is the more significant answer.
I have jaw pain too. Is that separate?+
It is a bigger entry and worth declaring as such. Grinding loads the jaw joints, and TMJ disorder frequently accompanies it with pain, clicking or locking. We have a page on it covering what we would ask.
Could my medication be causing it?+
Some medications, including certain antidepressants, can cause or worsen grinding. If it started after beginning something, that connection is worth mentioning, and the medication belongs in your answer about what you take.
Cover that often goes with this
The gaps we most often find sitting next to this one.