GRINDING TEETH (What Else Is There)?

Question

I have been grinding my teeth now for over 10 years.I have tryied football mouth guards and grind right through them + there uncomfortable to sleep with.My wife squezzes my jaw while im sleeping, hits me,tells me to stop etc.
She is now sleeping in a seperate room.It is very loud apparently,if i try to grind them while im awake its impossible.
I only drink 1 coffee a day & thats in the morn.I have a few beers each day to relax after work in which im on my feet all day.I have mentioned to my Dr about it & also my Dentist.
Have had x-ray to my teeth & spent alot of money on getting teeth all good dentist doesnt need to see me for 6 months.
Is there a drug that can perhaps put you into a sleep where the stresses in your life can be reduced to stop the grinding but still wake you up at 5am for work the next day.
I dont believe that a mouth gaurd of any sort is the final sollution because i dont want to wear 1 of them for the rest of my life.
Any suggestions please let me no. Cheers

Answer 1

A professionally made night guard is much more comfortable to wear and usually reduces the grinding or clenching that most patients have during the night. I have one myself and sometimes use it during the day as well. It's thick enough that you can't chew a hole in it, or make any noise, yet thin enough to be very comfortable to the cheeks and tongue, where other NG are just bulky. You may want to discuss this with your dentist and see if this would be the better choice for you. There is also a appliance that can be made to shift your jaw into position that eliminates the grinding and snoring that is used for sleep apnea patients. This may be what you need. If it's the stress in your life causing the grinding, I would try the professional night Guard that we make at the dentist office. You won't grind through it for many years and they are comfortable enough that you sometimes forget your wearing it. We always tell patients to put it in about an hour before bedtime so the mouth can get used to wearing it. Much like clothes that feel like they don't fit when you first put them on, but later they feel fine. Get rid of the stress in your life which is sometimes hard to do I know. You might want to tell your wife that she is causing some of your stress by sleeping in the other room! Unless you prefer it that way. I wouldn't resort to drugs unless it's the very last option you have. You may wind up having to rely on them the rest of your life. Discuss this with your dentist, he can make the guard or appliance or prescribe the approiated medication. Good luck and I hope I've been of some help.

Answer 2

Have you actually had an impression of your teeth sculpted and a prescription guard made, or just used over-the-counter methods? It costs about $365 for a dental mouth guard alone, but mine works. My dentist says that we are now discovering that about 80, some say 90 percent of people grind their teeth. Perhaps a result of the society we now live in. I've found that days that I've eaten late are positively correlated to night grinding and/or more intense night grinding. I'm trying, with my husband's help, to find if it has anything to do with REM sleep/dreaming/elevated brain activity. Maybe consuming too many calories for the body to normally expend during the sleep state, increases night grinding? In either case, eating supper earlier seems to help for now.

Answer 3

I have the same problem since I had teeth! Me and my sister had to share rooms until she moved to college like 2 years ago... and even my parents can hear it as they walk pass our room. Now that I have braces, I think I stopped a little... cuz i used to conciously and subconciously grind them. I don't do it as much, but i'm not saying get braces, maybe try putting some dental wax on your teeth before you to go to sleep! ^_^

find them at jewels, dominics, walgreens etc.

Answer 4

Hi,

Had same problem with bitting through them.

Got one made by my dentist - exact fit and not very big compaired to the "football" mouth guard.

It is more like a upper set of dental braces that guard and was made in a dental lab.

VERY ! hard plastic (actually acrylic) - you could hit it with a hammer and not break it and again, since it was made from a mold by dental company - fits like a glove.

Got use to it very fast and have had it for 10+ years, it was expensive - about $200.00 but sleeping well and not crushing teeth is well worth it.

Product name is "night guard"

http://www.nightguardlab.com/index.php

Good luck,

Jewells

Answer 5

I suppose you could talk with your physician (or even better, a psychiatrist) about starting on a medication to help reduce anxiety. Unfortunately, however, I don't know whether there's any evidence to suggest that that can reduce bruxism (grinding).

You could also consider non-medicinal ways of reducing anxiety, such as yoga or meditation. Good luck.

Answer 6

My dentist fit me for a custom mouth guard for only my bottom teeth. Very comfortable!