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teeth grinding / clenching

I've noticed that when I get stressed out I wake up the next morning with pretty bad pain in my jaw, and I'm fairly certain it's from clenching or grinding my teeth at night.

Do any of you have experience with this? I spoke with my dentist about it last year and he told me he didn't see any signs of wear or damage yet, but to let him know if it gets worse. He has some kind of mouth guard or something like that, that he makes in his office but it's REALLY expensive, and my clenching wasn't  a big problem yet so I passed. Plus wearing something like that at night has to be uber sexy for my H.

Lately it's becoming more of a problem. For instance, on Sunday morning I woke up in some pain, this morning I'm not in so much pain but my jaw is still somewhat sore if I bite down too hard. 

I don't know if this is relevant, but my brother grinds his teeth in his sleep and it's LOUD. I know my mom also grinds/clenches.

It's mostly annoying and painful for me. I asked my H if he ever hears me grinding my teeth and he said no, so for now it isn't effecting him.

Re: teeth grinding / clenching

  • I have a splint!  And I've had them since college and only had to get 1 more in those 15 or so years because I lost one.  It is worth the money!  Last time it was like $250 I thought.  You can try one of those rubber ones at walmart to see if it helps though those are really bulky.  This I just slip on right as I'm going to sleep.  Its clear and it just goes on my lower teeth.  If I forget it some night (which I haven't done for years), then I would wake up with the most awful jaw ache.  It really does fix the problem and I couldn't live without mine now.
  • I'm weird in that I do most of my grinding during the day when I'm stressed (road rage, work, etc.), and sometimes at night I clench, but not that often.  My dentist gave me a clear bite guard that looks and feels more like a retainer to wear on my top teeth for it.  I can wear it during the day and it's not a big deal since it's clear.

    Like pp said, you might want to try the kind you can buy at the drugstore and see if you can handle those first.  My guard was also about $250, but it's thinner and more versatile so it was worth it for me.

    Good luck, I hope your headaches go away! 

    Anniversary
  • I've grinded my teeth down so much, I may have to get caps sometime =( It gets the worst when I've been drinking or stressed. I have a bite plate that fits over my upper 2 front teeth (they used to make them where is covered all of them, ugh) and it helps a lot.
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  • I have bad TMJ, and my dentist said it's probably from clenching at night. I wear a mouth guard, but not every night. It really does help, even though it's a PITA. I think mine was like $300 but my insurance paid for most of it (I think it has to be billed with a diagnostic code in order for it to be covered - ask the billing person at your dental office). You can try one of the OTC ones that you mold yourself, but I found it to be unbearably uncomfortable to wear at night. My new one fits perfectly and really doesn't bother me at night.
  • I buy the cheapie ones, and wear them nightly.  I still wake up with jaw pain, so I don't know if they are truly doing the trick or not.  They DO help Sean sleep, but I wake up with headaches often.  You might want to try it, see if it works for you and if not, get the more expensive one. 
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  • I have horrible TMJ that was noticed by my chiro and confirmed by my ENT.  Both of my Drs. said not to bother buying the expensive guards you get from the dentist.  Not all insurances cover them and you can get the same relief by getting a simple mouth guard from the sports section at most any store.  You can form them to your mouth and they are super cheap.  I clench my teeth all day every day with out even noticing it.  Stress makes it worse and I used to grind my teeth at night, not sure if I still do.  Jaw pain, headaches, ear pain, neck and shoulder pain, etc.  It's all related.  I was told to get the sports mouth guard and was given a mild muscle relaxer to take a night.  I never did either and I just suffer through it because I'm a big fat dork.
  • Like the other ladies have said I would get the cheaper ones.  But trust me when I say this it is worth the money.  I ground my teeth down to almost nothing when I was younger and had to get veneers put in.  It was horrible!!  It was my dentists fault for not noticing I was doing it, so he payed for it to be done.  But, I would definately get the cheap mouth gaurds to save you from what I had to go through. 

     

    Some dentists can treat TMJ with mouth massage.  It is weird to go through, but helps tremendously. 

    imageExerciseMilestone Anniversary
  • Thanks ladies! I have a dentist appointment next week & I'm going to bring it up to him again, and ask him about buying an OTC one as well. He's really good about taking notes and then remembering to check problem areas, but if he doesn't bring it up then I will.
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