Question:
I recently learned that I grind my teeth while I sleep, applying
enough pressure that it is often loud enough to wake my boyfriend. Is
there anything I can do to stop this habit, or at least to protect my
teth from further damage? I'm begiining to get jaw, tooth, and head aches
from the pressure.
Answer:
Generally, for your situation, you're probably stressed, due
to a job situation, children, personal problems.... What
you're saying is, that your own body is attacking you.
I'd recommend a radical change in your life conditions. Try
to find a way to alter your present situation, yet still
survive. If you refuse to give up e.g. your shopping
habits, you deserve the stress associated with your
decision. Get away from the physical and social scene you
are now in.
For protecting your teeth, a common option is a "night guard" (or "bite guard"
or "splint"), which typically is a piece of latex that is molded after either your upper
teeth or lower teeth. By grinding on the "night guard" instead of on the opposing teeth,
the teeth are somewhat protected and the wear from bruxism (night grinding) is
reduced. Also, by not allowing the TMJ to close all the way, there is less stress on
the TMJ during bruxism.
I don't know if it is typical or not, but my employer's insurance does not cover "night
guards" even though such would cut down long term expenses. However, my insurance
does cover a "splint" that is made for medical reasons to treat a TMJ disfunction. (My
insurance company could have saved some money if my dentist had made my splint
for $200 instead of the $300 my Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon billed them.)
A dentist can make a "night guard". It will usually require two trips to the Dentist
office: first trip to get a mold of either the upper or lower teeth and the bite impression,
and the second trip to pick it up and have it adjusted (using bite paper to find the high
points where the opposing teeth are hitting the guard before the rest, and then grinding
down those spots on the guard so that the teeth hit the guard evenly so that you don't
have just one or two teeth bearing the brunt of the bruxism).
My splint was made by my Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon. It took me about 3 days to
get used to my splint--the jaw muscles were tensing up at first and the situation
seemed worse, not better, but after a week I was definitely doing better with the splint
than without. If I even take a quick nap and don't use the splint, I wake up with a very
painful TMJ, but if I use my splint when I sleep (and I insert it every night when I go
to bed), I wake up with no TMJ discomforts at all.
Your mileage may vary. If you can reduce stress of daily life, that may be enough.
If you try the splint, it is a very reversable process (just don't put it in if it is causing
more problems than it solves after you get used to it).
My TMJ problems turned out to be much more severe (the discs in my TMJ had
slipped and had to be surgically repositioned, so it looks like my TMJ will be
sensitive for as long as I have this body. My dentist accuses me of heavy bruxism,
which I have read is often a contributing factor to some TMJ disorders.)
In any case, I would recommend that you ask your dentist about a "night guard"
and let your dentist know that you do night grinding.
Yes. There is definitely something that can be done and I can assure
you...it isn't pretty but it works! I am a dental assistant in Ontario
and I have the same problem. I wake up in the morning with a sore jaw
and head aches all of the time.
The answer to "what can I do?" would be this: call your dentist right
now. Make an appointment and tell them what your problem is and request
a nightguard. This is a device that fits in your mouth and will protect
your teeth from the wear they receive every night when you are sleeping.
It will also improve the quality of sleep your boyfriend has every night!
Be sure to tell your dentist about the pain that this causes and I am
sure that he will make a guard for you. By no means will this mouth
appliance turn your boyfriend on...it isn't terribly sexy (although if
her is being deprived of that much sleep it may turn him on)...who knows?
