When I sleep and sometimes, when I am not paying attention, while I am awake I grind my teeth. It is a bad habit that I have no control over. When I wake up in the morning my jaw hurts from biting down so hard. What causes this and how can I stop it? I have been told that I should try a mouth guard while I sleep, but I can't sleep with a mouth guard. I think this bad habit started while I was in the navy as a result of stress, but I don't know. I just want to be able to stop. can someone help?
2007-01-18 05:24:23 · 9 answers · asked by smbarz80 1 in Health ➔ Dental
This is not an uncommon condition (it's called bruxism). Almost 50% of the American population have it, and stress may play a major role in this condition. You have many options:
1- relax your facial muscles through the day and make it a habit
2- eat softer food and don't eat on one side only and avoid hard food like nuts
3- warm pads are useful
4- don't open your jaw too much or close it to the end for a long time
5- massage the muscles of neck, shoulder and jaws
6- drink plenty of water
7- try to reduce your stress in general
also:
1- a well-fabricated night guard can be really effective
2- hypnosis has been widely used for chronic pain management
3- if the cause was an unbalanced occlusion then the occlusion should be balanced
4- muscle relaxant tablets can be helpful
I think you should see a dentist to check if stress is not the only cause of your condition
2007-01-18 05:53:25 · answer #1 · answered by Dr.Haya 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had the same problem for a while, and I *also* thought I couldn't sleep with a mouthguard. It turns out, if you're tired enough, you can sleep with anything!
Point being, you should really a) get a mouthguard (you WILL get used to it. It may just take a few nights) and b) talk to your doctor about it. This is a very common stress-related symptom, and by dealing with your stress, you can deal with the teeth-grinding!
There are a lot of options for the stress: meditation, exercise, even medication. But only your doctor can help figure out which is right for you!
2007-01-18 05:36:20 · answer #2 · answered by Jolie L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are dfferent types of bite guards either way you need to wear one. You are going to do damage to your teeth, and you are going to get pain in your jaw from this. And no matter what stress is always going to be there this is how you deal with it so now you must protect your teeth before you wear them down to numbs!
2007-01-21 03:30:19 · answer #3 · answered by TIM'S HOUSE 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Without a mouth guard I don't really know another way to stop it. And btw it would be really hard to choke on it in your sleep, and if it was you would wake up.
2016-03-29 03:17:35 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can buy night mouth guards in the Drug store
2007-01-21 03:04:29 · answer #5 · answered by Pooh 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get a mouth guard..Works for me...You will get used to it..I actually hated mine and now I can't sleep without it!
2007-01-18 06:23:31 · answer #6 · answered by Jesabel 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Stop Infections Heal Teeth : http://DentalBook.uzaev.com/?QUCu
2016-06-29 20:26:59 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
talk to the dentist about getting a bite plate
2007-01-18 05:31:21 · answer #8 · answered by Sm@rtAs$ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
try seeing a therapist .. they are not all head shrinkers as you may have heard they really can help.
2007-01-18 05:32:55 · answer #9 · answered by CelticMoonGoddess 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋