Nocturnal bruxism treated by massed negative practice. A case study.

One college woman ground her teeth every night. The dentist saw flat spots on her molars.

Before bed she clenched her jaw muscles hard for five seconds, then relaxed for five. She did this 100 times. The next night she did it again. This is called massed negative practice.

After four nights her nighttime grinding stopped. The dentist saw no new tooth damage two months later.

When she quit the practice, the grinding stayed gone.

Porter et al. (2008) used a short habit-reversal package to stop nail biting in a grad student. Both studies show one young adult can beat a body-focused habit with a tiny nightly routine.

Viefhaus et al. (2020) gave kids 16 weekly habit-reversal sessions for tics. R et al. got the same fast drop with one nightly drill. The difference is dose: many short visits versus one massed bout.

Sievers et al. (2020) used ACT talk therapy for hair pulling. R et al. used a motor drill. Both worked, but the drill took minutes, not weeks.

If a client grinds at night, try a five-minute pre-bed drill. Have them clench and release their jaw 100 times. Track tooth wear or a sleep app for one week. One case is not proof, but the cost is zero and the risk is low. If it works, you saved a mouth guard and months of treatment.