Help! Teeth clenching/grinding causing lack of sleep, exhausted after exercise....

[bzar]

Originally Posted by PLS

bzar, I completely agree mouth guards are absolutely UNSEXY!

[Orlita]

The funniest are probably the ones that go just over your two front teeth (I've had 'em all). That one -- billed as the ultimate miracle in TMJ and migraine eradication -- makes you look like a rabbit and talk like a clown.

They told me that one was impossible to remove in your sleep. Well, I had worse pain than ever because I kept contorting my mouth to (successfully) remove it.

Silly wabbit. These teeth were made for walkin', that's what they're gonna do. One of these days these teeth are gonna walk all over you.

[Debbie S.]

I have really bad TMJ, and I have been using upper and lower retainers for the last 15 years.

They do sell night guards in stores like WalMart, which isn't terribly expensive.

[superfit41]

I am a clencher, and the only thing saving my teeth is a night guard. I actually cracked one of my molars My dentist highly recommended the night guard, and I donot sleep without it. No more jaw pain in the am, either. You really should consider getting one, you can really damage your teeth!

Sherry

[Castella]

Where I live, dentist-made mouth guards start at $600 and TMJ evaluation is ~ $1300. I have a mouth guard but don't use it. I absolutely hate it. (just think, $600 that could have been spent on fitness equipment!) I try to be aware of grinding and de-stress, but I also have gum problems and any stress whatsoever seems to trigger a flare-up.

Grinding is really bad for your teeth, it can cause tiny cracks in the enamel and then bacteria can get in there and then you're looking at a root canal and crown.

I always say, teeth are the reason I stopped believing in evolution.

[ella]

Wow! I thought I was the only one with this problem. I have the same issue-grinding caused by TMJ. My jaw is also misaligned but I refuse to get braces again. I've worn a mouth guard made by my dentist for about 10 years off and on. I have to have a new one made every 6 months if I wear it regularly b/c I end up cracking it from grinding so hard (and they are so expensive!) About 2 years ago I had to have gum graft surgery b/c grinding can cause your gums to recede. I agree that the mouth guard is uncomfortable. When I wear it my jaw doesn't hurt but my teeth ache when I wake up. Also, so unsexy. Anytime I wore it regularly my husband took it as a sign that it was not going to be a romantic evening if I had it in.

Over the last 2-3 weeks since my job changed a bit and become more challenging the grinding has become awful again. I tried to use my husband's inversion table for my back and I had so much pain/pressure in my jaw. It was unbearable. So tonight I will pull out the unsexy mouth guard and hope that it helps.

The things that have worked for me are:
Relaxing music before bed.
Avoid chewy foods during the day (gum, bagels etc.)
Warm compresses

Good luck to everyone.

[lfcjasp]

I have TMJ and I sometimes grind my teeth. A mouthguard from WalMart (boiled and then fitted to MY teeth) and a special pillow from Costco...the grinding has stopped for now. So has the pain and the inablity to even get a good bite into a fresh apple. Now I'm eating my apples (an apple a day...) and resting better. Also anything that helps you relax...my DDs will tell you I don't do that at all well.

[Susan G.]

Kelly,
I don't know how often you are in NYC, but Yamuna, the body rolling studio, offers a new face rolling technique that somewhat relaxes face muscles. My myofascial pain encompassing my face, is more widespread but it does offer me some relief. If you've done other ball or foam rolling it's along the same line, but here the ball is slowly is rolled over the face. My physical therapist noted it does seem to have helped. I'm happy to give you more details. Good luck.

Susan

[Cowgirl32]

Originally Posted by Susan G.

There at a few of us on this board that have discussed similar problems.

In my case after years of tight face muscles and trying everything from acupuncture through rolfing, I went to physical therapy. The problem turned out to stem from tightness in my entire spine. I've slowly improved with neck stretches, strengthening my back, and balancing exercises for posture.

Though everyone is different, you might consider being accessed by a physical therapist as well as a dentist. I didn't realize my neck was so tight because, well, I've never lived with anyone else's neck.

Good luck. I know those sleepless nights. Even with an improvement I sometimes have to do yoga and/or Advil.

I had issues with this when I wasn't stretching my cervical spine muscles(traps, levator etc..). My chiropractor told me my neck, shoulder, and traps were carrying so much tension that I would grind my teeth in certain positions while sleeping. Stretching and correcting my forward 'slump' in posture really helped relax my facial muscles which tend to take the most beating from tight neck muscles.

[zumzum]

I clench my teeth terribly at night--the first thing a new dentist always asks is if I have a night guard. The boil and bite ones didn't work for me and the custom fit ones from the dentist are so expensive, but there are a lot of labs that make them for the dentists that will also make it directly for you. They'll send out a mold kit so you can take an impression of your teeth, and then you send that back and they'll use it to make the night guard. It's only about*$170 compared to the $450 I spent at the dentist. I also like going for a night guard for the bottom teeth, not the top.

Also, I carry most of my tension in my neck and shoulders, which exasperates things. Good pillows and yoga/massage help.