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A cure worse than the problem?
Oct. 28th, 2006 09:42 amI'm a nocturnal teeth-grinder. My dentist has pointed out several times how chipped my teeth are from it. I've been told I should get a ($500+) custom-fitted mouth piece to wear at night to prevent the damage.
Lately, my jaw has been really sore, and I'm getting a lot of hot/cold sensitivity in the teeth on the right side of my jaw; it makes it really hard to enjoy a cold beer or a crisp apple right out of the refrigerator. I'm fairly certain both of these are related to the grinding.
I had been told by friends and a former dentist that I could try a less expensive option and try wearing an athletic mouth guard to bed. I recently tried it out-- bought a cheapo from Dunham's. You dip it in boiling water and then briefly in cold and mould it to your upper teeth. I've worn it two nights in a row, and while my jaw is less achey, the mouth piece prevents me from being able to close my mouth all the way, so I start the night drooling a little, and end up in the morning with a dry mouth and chapped lips.
I am going to try one more do-it-myself option; they have mouthguards for young people that are smaller than the ones for adults. I've been told by more than one dentist that I have a small mouth, so that might work better. The mouth guards are about $2, so if it doesn't work, it hasn't been that expensive an experiment.
Anybody on my FL have any luck with stopping teeth grinding short of buying a $500 custom mouth piece from the dentist?
Lately, my jaw has been really sore, and I'm getting a lot of hot/cold sensitivity in the teeth on the right side of my jaw; it makes it really hard to enjoy a cold beer or a crisp apple right out of the refrigerator. I'm fairly certain both of these are related to the grinding.
I had been told by friends and a former dentist that I could try a less expensive option and try wearing an athletic mouth guard to bed. I recently tried it out-- bought a cheapo from Dunham's. You dip it in boiling water and then briefly in cold and mould it to your upper teeth. I've worn it two nights in a row, and while my jaw is less achey, the mouth piece prevents me from being able to close my mouth all the way, so I start the night drooling a little, and end up in the morning with a dry mouth and chapped lips.
I am going to try one more do-it-myself option; they have mouthguards for young people that are smaller than the ones for adults. I've been told by more than one dentist that I have a small mouth, so that might work better. The mouth guards are about $2, so if it doesn't work, it hasn't been that expensive an experiment.
Anybody on my FL have any luck with stopping teeth grinding short of buying a $500 custom mouth piece from the dentist?
