The VA bruxism rating runs from 0% to 50% and is assigned by analogy under Diagnostic Code 9905 for temporomandibular disorder (TMD), because bruxism has no diagnostic code of its own. Ratings turn on how far you can open your jaw, whether you have limited side-to-side motion, and whether a physician has documented that you need a modified diet. At current rates, a single veteran with no dependents receives $180.42 per month at 10% and $1,132.90 per month at 50%.
Why Bruxism Is Rated Under Code 9905
When a condition has no dedicated diagnostic code, 38 CFR 4.27 tells the VA to build one by analogy: the first two digits identify the body system, and the last two digits are “99” to flag it as unlisted.1eCFR. 38 CFR 4.27 – Use of Diagnostic Code Numbers For bruxism, the VA places it among dental and oral conditions and rates it under DC 9905 (TMD). The Board of Veterans’ Appeals has endorsed that approach, treating bruxism’s chronic jaw stress as overlapping with the limited opening, restricted movement, and pain that DC 9905 was written to capture.2Board of Veterans’ Appeals. Docket No. 230430-345258
The VA has also declined to create a standalone bruxism code. In the 2017 rulemaking updating the dental rating schedule, it concluded that bruxism is a symptom of craniomandibular disorders and that its effects are already captured by DC 9905.3Federal Register. Schedule for Rating Disabilities – Dental and Oral Conditions Your claim will therefore rise or fall on the TMD criteria, no matter how severe the grinding itself.
How the Rating Is Calculated
DC 9905 measures jaw disability two ways: interincisal range (how far you can open your mouth, in millimeters between the upper and lower front teeth) and lateral excursion (how far you can slide your jaw side to side). Normal maximum unassisted vertical opening is 35 to 50 mm.4eCFR. 38 CFR 4.150 – Schedule of Ratings, Dental and Oral Conditions The rating climbs as your opening shrinks, and it climbs again when you also need a physician-verified modified diet.
Interincisal range ratings:
- 0 to 10 mm opening with dietary restrictions to all mechanically altered foods: 50%
- 0 to 10 mm opening without dietary restrictions: 40%
- 11 to 20 mm opening with dietary restrictions to all mechanically altered foods: 40%
- 11 to 20 mm opening without dietary restrictions: 30%
- 21 to 29 mm opening with dietary restrictions to full liquid and pureed foods: 40%
- 21 to 29 mm opening with dietary restrictions to soft and semi-solid foods: 30%
- 21 to 29 mm opening without dietary restrictions: 20%
- 30 to 34 mm opening with dietary restrictions to full liquid and pureed foods: 30%
- 30 to 34 mm opening with dietary restrictions to soft and semi-solid foods: 20%
- 30 to 34 mm opening without dietary restrictions: 10%
Lateral excursion of 0 to 4 mm earns 10%.4eCFR. 38 CFR 4.150 – Schedule of Ratings, Dental and Oral Conditions Mechanically altered foods are foods changed by blending, chopping, grinding, or mashing. The four levels, most to least restrictive, are full liquid, puree, soft, and semi-solid.
Interincisal and Lateral Excursion Are Rated Separately
Note (1) of DC 9905 says ratings for limited interincisal movement “shall not be combined with” ratings for limited lateral excursion.4eCFR. 38 CFR 4.150 – Schedule of Ratings, Dental and Oral Conditions The Board reads that language to mean each limitation gets its own rating rather than merging into a single higher percentage. In one decision, the Board awarded a veteran an interincisal rating and a separate 10% for lateral excursion.5VA.gov. Decision for Veteran’s Claim Regarding Jaw Disability Make sure your examiner measures both, because a limited side-to-side motion can add 10% to your combined rating.
Why the Diet Note Matters
The gap between a 20% and a 40% rating at the same jaw opening often comes down to diet. Note (3) of DC 9905 requires that any texture-modified diet be “recorded or verified by a physician” before it counts toward a higher rating.4eCFR. 38 CFR 4.150 – Schedule of Ratings, Dental and Oral Conditions Telling the C&P examiner you eat soft foods is not enough. You need a doctor’s note in your chart before the exam. Many claims lose money here.
What Each Rating Pays
Monthly compensation under the rates effective December 1, 2025, for a single veteran with no dependents:6Veterans Affairs. Current Veterans Disability Compensation Rates
- 10%: $180.42
- 20%: $356.66
- 30%: $552.47
- 40%: $795.84
- 50%: $1,132.90
Rates at 30% and above increase with dependents. The jumps between tiers are large. Moving from 10% to 20% nearly doubles the check, and physician-documented diet restrictions are often what makes that jump possible.
The 10% Floor for Painful Motion
Even if your jaw opens wider than 34 mm, which would normally fall outside the compensable range, you may still qualify for a minimum 10% rating. Under 38 CFR 4.59, actually painful joints are entitled to “at least the minimum compensable rating for the joint.”7eCFR. 38 CFR 4.59 – Painful Motion With a service-connected bruxism diagnosis and documented pain on jaw movement, the VA should assign at least 10% even when raw measurements fall short.
The related rule, 38 CFR 4.40, requires the VA to consider functional loss due to pain, not just mechanical range of motion, and states that “a part which becomes painful on use must be regarded as seriously disabled.”8eCFR. 38 CFR 4.40 – Functional Loss Pain while eating, talking, or yawning counts as functional loss even if you can open your mouth to a normal width.
Flare-Ups
Bruxism symptoms fluctuate. You may measure well on exam day but have days when your jaw barely opens. Under the DeLuca standard, the examiner must ask about flare-ups and estimate the additional functional loss they cause, including whether pain could significantly limit function during flare-ups or with repeated use of the joint. The examiner is also required to test pain on both active and passive motion.7eCFR. 38 CFR 4.59 – Painful Motion If the examiner skips the flare-up question or fails to note where pain begins, the exam may be inadequate, and you can request a new one. Describe bad days in detail so the examiner’s estimate can push your effective range into a higher bracket.
Getting Service Connected in the First Place
No rating attaches until the VA links your bruxism to service. Direct service connection from an in-service jaw injury is uncommon. The vast majority of successful bruxism claims are secondary, meaning the bruxism was caused or worsened by another service-connected condition.9eCFR. 38 CFR 3.310 – Disabilities Proximately Due to or Aggravated by Service-Connected Disease or Injury A secondary claim needs a current bruxism diagnosis, an existing service-connected disability, and a medical opinion tying the two together.
PTSD and Anxiety
The most common pathway. Chronic stress and hypervigilance drive involuntary clenching and grinding, often during sleep. The Board has granted bruxism as secondary to PTSD where a VA examiner opined that the bruxism was “most likely due to anxiety” and the veteran’s PTSD rating already listed anxiety among its symptoms.10Board of Veterans’ Appeals. BVA Decision 20023236 – Service Connection for Bruxism Secondary to PTSD Anxiety, stress, or sleep disturbance already noted in your PTSD exam can support a secondary bruxism claim.
Sleep Apnea
If you have service-connected obstructive sleep apnea, medical research supports a bruxism link. In one case, the Board granted secondary service connection based on a private doctor’s opinion that cited clinical studies showing direct causality, even though a prior VA examiner had called the cause “unclear.”11Board of Veterans’ Appeals. Docket No. 17-33 842 – Bruxism Secondary to Sleep Apnea A well-supported private nexus opinion can overcome an equivocal VA exam.
Traumatic Brain Injury
TBI is a newer pathway. Medical literature describes several mechanisms by which brain injury can trigger bruxism, including disruption of the brain’s motor pattern generators, dopamine and serotonin imbalances, and dysregulation of the stress-response axis.12PMC. Could Traumatic Brain Injury Be a Risk Factor for Bruxism and Temporomandibular Disorders – A Scoping Review If you have a service-connected TBI, ask your provider to address these neurological pathways in the nexus opinion and attach supporting literature.
Evidence That Moves the Rating
A successful bruxism claim tracks the DC 9905 criteria. Vague complaints of jaw pain will not get you a compensable rating. The VA needs evidence of a current disability, an in-service event or service-connected condition, and a medical link between the two.13Veterans Affairs. Evidence Needed For Your Disability Claim Before filing, put these in your file:
- A current diagnosis from a dentist, oral surgeon, or physician confirming bruxism or TMD.
- Dental records showing physical damage: worn tooth surfaces, cracked teeth, or damage to dental work.
- Treatment records, including any prescription for an occlusal splint or night guard and evidence you use it.
- Physician-documented dietary restrictions in the chart before the C&P exam, per Note (3) of DC 9905.
- A nexus letter for secondary claims that explains the mechanism and cites medical reasoning rather than a conclusory statement.
If the VA Assigns 0%
Service connection at 0% pays nothing directly, but it opens the door to VA healthcare, dental care, vision care, travel pay reimbursement for medical appointments, and eligibility for Veterans Affairs Life Insurance. It also preserves your right to file for an increase later. If you have two or more noncompensable service-connected conditions that together make it hard to work, the VA may raise your rating to 10%.14Veterans Affairs. Non-Compensable Disability
If You Are Already Rated for TMD or Another Jaw Condition
A separate bruxism rating can collide with the pyramiding rule. Under 38 CFR 4.14, the VA cannot rate the same symptoms twice under different diagnostic codes.15eCFR. 38 CFR 4.14 – Avoidance of Pyramiding If your bruxism and your existing TMD produce the same limited opening, the VA evaluates them under one rating. Pyramiding only blocks duplicate ratings for overlapping symptoms, so distinct symptoms not captured by an existing rating can still support a separate evaluation. The Board’s principle is that “separate and distinct symptomatology” can be rated separately as long as no symptom is counted twice.5VA.gov. Decision for Veteran’s Claim Regarding Jaw Disability