Posted: 7/9/2006 6:01:27 PM EDT
| Finally went to a Dr. today about the pain in my ear and jaw. Figured it'd be an ear infection some antibiotics and have a nice day. Instead he tells me I'm grinding/clenching my teeth at night. Told me to buy a mouth peice and wear it when I go to sleep. Other than that, nothing more he can do. Well i've been walkin around the house with this thing in and I don't know how the hell I'm going to fall asleep tonight with this hunk of rubber in my mouth. Just wondering if any of the Arfcom family has any better ideas to stop grinding/bitting down at night. |
Same situation. I clench my jaw so tight at night that it has shifted my teeth a bit. Went to the dentist and had a mouth guard made to distribute the pressure. When I'm really stressed out, it's tough to even open my mouth in the mornings. I've been to specialists, but nothing seems to help. I'm sure there will be a day that I wake up and won't be able to open it at all. If you come up with something that helps, let me know. It sucks. 
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Abruxion (teeth grinding) is something you really want to avoid by any means necessary. You can literally grind years' worth of wear out of your teeth in a matter of weeks if you do it. And once it's gone, it's gone. Though your body DOES have a mechanism to replenish tooth enamel (via a component in saliva), it's not going to make up for grinding. If you grind, take any help you can get. If you are a jaw clencher, you may need a muscle relaxant prescribed to you. CJ |
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OMG! I was wondering why sometimes I would get pain in my jaw and be unable to open my mouth really wide... What kind of doctor do you see to get a mouthguard/muscle relaxant? I've definitely woken myself up to the "mysterious sound of crushing stones" which would dissapear when I wake up, haha |
lol.. wow that's gotta be extreme to wake up to it. Dentist i think would be best for it. I just went to my family Dr. But if you're grinding that bad I'd say dentist to see what damage has been done. |
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I just finished straightening my teeth with Invisalign. The final tray (which is custom formed to my teeth) fits them perfectly and is my plastic retainer. I wear it at night, so it helps with my teeth grinding. I used to wear it 24/7 for 16 months, so I don't notice it. Look into getting something like that molded for yourself. Might cost you upwards of $300 or more. Ask an orthodontist. |
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I found out I had the same problem after a sleep study I had done. I ALWAYS woke up and felt tired as hell. My primary care docotr refered me to a shrink who diagnosed me with ADHD. When I would grind my teeth it would awake me from REM sleep, hence the tired feeling all the time. Being 32 this kind of came as a shock to me, nevertheless he prescribed Paxil to help me sleep at night. Paxil is primarily for depression, so I was skeptical this would even work. After about 2 weeks, I was pretty much cured of teeth grinding and a bad night's sleep. I am a believer in this Paxil stuff now. |
How did you like the Invisalign? |
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EXACTLY, Sparsky. You can get a $10 mouth guard at the local sporting goods store that will work just as well. The only time I would say spend the money to get one from a dentist is if you have trouble with the fitting. The cost is so high because they take molds of your teeth and make a mouth guard that specifically fits you. I grind my teeth at night when I get stressed. Lots of excercise and doing things I enjoy doing (gardening, working with my horses) seems to help alleviate stress. 
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i bought one of those dr's night guard things from walmart about a year ago. the dentist want 450.00 for the same thing. you custome fit to you mouth and it's smaller than the sports version. Took me about 3 nights befoe i could really sleep with it. on the bright side it reduced my snoring as it forced me to breath through my nose. |
