Why do i grind my teeth whilst i sleep? And is there anything i can do to prevent it?

Question

Its starting to pi** the misses off.and thats not good,lol

Answer 1

when i asked my dentist why i grind my teeth she said everyone does it and offered to make me a fitted mouthpiece to stop the teeth grinding

Answer 2

The only thing you can do is go to the dentist and get a gum shield! Lisa (my better half) grinds ger teeth when she's stressed. It wakes me up but now if there is something on her mind, she either puts it in before she goes to sleep or after I have woke her up .............. only problem is that it's not a very sexy item of nightwear :O)

NB. I think we had to pay £50-£60 for a dentist shield but you could get a rugby/sport gumshield for about £8 that would do the same job - Lisa's looks the same as my old sport shields.

Answer 3

Yes it is tension.
I grind my teeth very heavily & I mean very heavily...I have done so for as long as I can remember which is nearly 38 years now when a girl friend told me I did it. (but we wont go into that!)
For a long time now I sometimes wake up whilst still doing it & am aware of it.
What I want to say is..I have never worn a shield & at the age of nearly 60 I still have most of my own teeth apart from 2 crowns & 1 bridge.

Answer 4

it's usually stress related. A dentist can give you a "plate" to wear, sort of like a retainer, to help keep you from grinding your teeth. Sounds annoying to sleep with a retainer in your mouth, but aside from alloying your wife to get some sleep (teeth grinding can be LOUD) it will also save your teeth, as grinding can wear away your enamel and damage your teeth.

Answer 5

I have worn plastic guards for about 5 years.
It was causing me jaw pain-all the grinding.
After going to the hospitals dental dept:I was told I had an overbite and my dentist made me one.
Cant sleep without it and stress makes the grinding worse.

p.s I have known kids to do it too.

Answer 6

Try giving up tea and coffee, chocolate ..anything with caffeine in it for a few weeks and see if that helps. Alcohol also seems to make it much worse. Anything that stops you relaxing at night, like eating after 7pm will also make it worse. People who have suffered any kind of unresolved trauma are more prone to it but the caffeine and eating at night will aggravate it for sure.

Answer 7

Oh your poor misses, id of put you in the spare room ages ago!!!!!!
Ask your dentist if you can have a night guard made, you'll need to have impressions taken, its sent off to a lab and takes about two weeks to come back. Its not as bulky as a gum sheild. Alot of patients we get say they didn't sleep well the first few nights, then after a while of wearing it they say they cant sleep without it!!!!!!!! Depending on your dentist they cost about £30.00/£50.00.

Answer 8

you are very stressed out during the day, what you can do to alleviate the problem until you stop is to go to your local drug store and buy a teeth grinding preventer, it is a small plastic device worn like braces

Answer 9

i have been a teeth grinder for as long as i can remember...undoubtedly its stress related. i buy a mouth piece in the toothbrush/paste aisle at walmart...its around 18 bucks. i want to say the name is dental gard...anyways...you can get the same thing at walgreens or cvs but pay five or six dollars more... hope this is helpful. i go through one about every two months....

Answer 10

Sometimes it happesn when you are stressed and your brain is subconsciously dealing with it. My sister did this when she was younger and her doctor suggested she wear a mouth guard at night, one that they when playing sports. It may not be the prettiest solution but they make some clear, rather small comfortable ones. Hope this helps!