Clenching the teeth puts pressure on the muscles, tissues, and other structures around your jaw. The symptoms can cause temporomandibular joint problems (TMJ). Grinding can wear down your teeth. It can be noisy enough at night to bother sleeping partners.
From 1846 to 1848 the United States fought a war with Mexico. North Americans now know the conflict as the Mexican War, or the Mexican-American War. As a result of the war, the United States took over the land that later became New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Texas, and western Colorado.
When the United States admitted Texas to the Union in 1845, the Mexican government was outraged, and from 1846 to 1848, the two nation's squared off in the Mexican War. With a resounding victory, the United States gained control of Texas, New Mexico, and California. The Oregon territory was annexed in 1846 as well, and the US controlled the land all the way to the Pacific Ocean. As the population of the West soared and the prospects of statehood for western territories appeared clearer and clearer, the nation battled over the future of slavery in the West. This battle was one reason for the Civil War, which slowed the acceleration of expansion.