Question:
I do and they are getting quite damaged now. I can imagine in a couple
of years I'll have no teeth left.
Has anyone got any sensible solutions to teeth grinding? Either to
stop the grinding in the first place or to protect my teeth during
grinding episodes.
Answer:
During the day, try sticking your tongue between your teeth.
At night, a night guard will stop the damage. Dentist charge from
$100-$500US.
"Do-it-yourself" night guards are available from drug stores for about
$20-$40.
Even less expensive, my brother-in-law uses athletic mouth guards.
grinding ur teeth during sleep or in the day time? the medical name is
Bruxism, and is usually caused by stress.
does ur jaw "pop" when u open ur mouth?
never met anyone else with this same problem b4. the medical name for
this is temporomandibular joint syndrome(TMJ). common signs include
headaches, toothaches, aching neck, shoulders, or back, and clicking or
popping noise when opening or closing the jaw.
bruxism measures:
immediate measures:
1. for the loaded, go to ur dentist and have mouth splints custom made.
could set u back us$200-$400 per piece(upper/lower) if i remember
correctly.
2. for the cheap, go to a martial arts shop or sports shop and get a
comfortable mouth guard(u dont need a double side guard) cost us$20-$30.
try this first and then go to ur dentist for the better one.
preventive measures:
1. practice relaxation daily. get a good relaxation tape.
2. keep ur upper and lower teeth slightly apart, and don't let them
meet.
"lips together, teeth apart"
3. for night grinding, munch on an apple, raw carrot or raw culiflower
to calm the overactive jaw. chewing gum also works.
4. apply heat to the jaw to relax clenching jaw muscles.
5. calm down and relax
a. cut down on caffeine and refined carbohydrates such as candy and
pastries.
b. take some warm baths
c. ease up on yourself
d. learn to relax. for example progressive relaxation technique.
6. bruxism is a learned response to stress and can be unlearned...
See your dentist. One of the dental industrys products is a custom
made insert to stop teeth grinding that you put in your mouth before
going to sleep. Not cheap though; I think you'd be looking at a few
hundred US dollars.
I clench my right jaw all the time, a bit like Charlton Heston the actor,
and ended up with tinnitus in my right ear as a result. I have two fillings
in the two back teeth on my right side where the teeth have been worn down
over the years. Things got very bad in December 1999 and I've been chewing
Wrigley's Orbit(Blue) chewing gum all day every day for over the last two
years and this does the trick but I think things are going on a night when
I'm asleep. I chew my way through at least two packets a day although I've
never taken stock of the exact number. I buy Wrigley's Orbit by the box
full. I'm thinking of inventing a device at some point to help solve this
problem but the thought I have is that if one blocks the tension in this
area it will just go somewhere else with perhaps more serious results.
