Bruxism - also known as grinding or clenching - is a rather common oral condition and affects children as well as adults. A patient in your dental office may not necessarily know that he or she grinds his or her teeth. Here are symptoms of grinding you can check with your patients. In this list there are some symptoms that do not have anything to do with grinding. Please mark only the ones that are connected with bruxism. How can the patient prevent bad breath? There are several steps the patient can take to prevent halitosis.