Teeth Gritting

[SquirmingSusan]

I spent 2-1/2 hours today getting a root canal and a bunch of fillings in cavities along the gumline. I had 3 kinds of novocaine and half of my head was numb for about 6 hours. Blech. And to top it off, one of the fillings has fallen out already, but that tooth is likely infected and also needs a root canal. In the past few years I have developed so many cavities along the gumline!!!

It's from gritting my teeth! I was going to a dentist that my husband really like, and he didn't have a clue as to what was causing the problem. I decided that I really didn't like him anyway, and went back to a dentist that I like better, who uses more high-tech, modern approaches to dentistry, like air abrasion instead of drills. (Although those darned gumline cavities require drilling ) He just told me that in almost all cases those things are caused by gritting our teeth.

I know that others around here grit there teeth as well, so I want you to be aware of the problem. My dentist is going to treat this very aggressively because one those start it's very hard to get them under control. He's using a filling material that fights tooth decay.

I've been using a Somnoguard anti-snoring mouth guard at night and that has put an end to any nighttime teeth grinding. And when I have problems during the day, I use a sports mouthguard or stick a cork from a wine bottle between my teeth.

Oh and dry mouth from meds doesn't help with this problem either, or the fact that so many meds cause us to clench our teeth.

[ViewsAskew]

Huh! that's fascinating. I'm so sorry you had to go through the root canal and the work, though. Not fun at all.

I hope these new things really work out well for you, like the anti cavity fillings (how cool is that?).

[Scarlett46]

This is interesting...
I am a terrible clencher, which causes jaw pain and sometimes headaches. I catch myself clenching 30 seconds after I have consciouosly loosened my jaw. I have tried the sports mouthguards, but I find that I actually clench tighter because of the rubbery consistency. Might be time to spend the money on a hard acrylic mouthguard from the dentist...

[Polar Bear]

I'm also a 'clencher' ...... and a grinder.....

[badnights]

yoga might help. It taught me how to breathe (I was always holding my breath without realizing it) and relax my jaw ( I only clenched, I didn't grind).

[rthom]

I have worn my back teeth right down and now they are starting to break. Do you think or have you heard if there is any co-relation between the WED and the grinding?

[ViewsAskew]

Bruxism is a sleep issue for gazillions of people, lol, so probably not related. But, stress can contribute to bruxism, I believe, and many of us have a LOT of stress. Also, I strongly believe that because our brain chemistry is screwed up (the dopamine issues), this leads us to have other issues - how can it now? It's already been shown that we are something like 2-3 times more likely to suffer from depression and an even higher percentage more likely to have an anxiety disorder.

[torrekay]

You will be amazed at how much your dental health improves. I have not had any dental issues since I started wearing my night guards 2 years ago.

[rthom]

i have a night guard as well but if i use it, when the rls isn't rousing me the guard is. then i ditch it and forget to use it again.

[Chipmunk]

my mom had to have all of her teeth capped because she had ground them down to the nubs. Cost her $20K. I wear my bite guard every night!

if you get a good one from the dentist, you won't even notice it. It shouldn't cause pain, and should be molded to fit your top teeth and adjusted to fit smoothly with your bottom teeth.