ELEVEN years ago, Michelle Waldron posed for the camera wearing her graduation gown and mortarboard, flashing a big smile full of pearly whites. But now, her smile is a very different story – if she dares to grin at all. 5 Michelle flashing a toothy grin at her graduation 11 years ago, before she started grinding her teeth Credit: Tell & Sell Stories 5 Michelle's teeth grinding habit has left her with stubs that break apart as she eats Credit: Tell & Sell Stories Michelle, 34, suffers with bruxism, or teeth grinding.
She grinds both rows of her teeth against each other at any given time, day and night – with it being worse at night. "It happens all the time," she says. "Whether I’m watching a pop concert or something I’m enjoying on the TV, I realise I’m grinding my teeth together.
" This grinding – which she has done for 10 years - has meant her gnashers have been literally ground away, to the point that she finds bits of teeth flying out onto her plate while eating her dinner. What's left are what could be called 'stubs' - small sections of tooth with big gaps in between, where her teeth used to meet. The condition has left Michelle, who lives in Ireland, feeling extremely down.
If someone is taking a photo, she forces a closed-mouth grimace, refusing to flash a toothy grin for fear of ridicule. Most read in Health 'WHAT A SHAMBLES' Travel chaos at Scots airport as queues 'snake outside the terminal' SCRANTASTIC! Pink surprises popular Glasgow restaurant with hug.
