Bruxism when the parafunctional activity occurs – during sleep ("sleep bruxism"), or while awake ("awake bruxism"). This is the most widely used classification since sleep bruxism generally has different causes to awake bruxism, although the effects on the condition on the teeth may be the same. The treatment is also often dependent upon whether the bruxism happens during sleep or while awake, e.g., an occlusal splint worn during sleep in a person who only bruxes when awake will probably have no benefit. Some have even suggested that sleep bruxism is an entirely different disorder and is not associated with awake bruxism.
Bruxism clonazepam, levodopa, amitriptyline, bromocriptine, pergolide, clonidine, propranolol, and l-tryptophan, with some showing no effect and others appear to have promising initial results; however, it has been suggested that further safety testing is required before any evidence-based clinical recommendations can be made. When bruxism is related to the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in depression, adding buspirone has been reported to resolve the side effect. Tricyclic antidepressants have also been suggested to be preferable to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in people with bruxism, and may help with the pain. Botulinum toxin (Botox) is used as a treatment for bruxism, however