Jaw clenching

[Bluestaco]

I have pretty much always had the problem of clenching my jaw when I sleep. I've never been much of a molar grinder (try sleeping next to one of THOSE!), but I was TERRIBLE for clenching.

My dentist brought it up with me almost three years ago, and I got fitted with an NTI. Basically, it's just an acrylic thing that fits over my bottom front teeth. The physiology of it indicates that humans don't clench their jaws until their canine teeth meet. If they can't meet, you don't clench! (...theoretically...I don't know..) Expensive little rascal. Hard to get used to as well, but...

Today I went for my dental checkup.

They asked whether I still used my appliance and I pretty much volunteered to be the poster child! I used to wake up with headaches several times a week, but now that only happens when I...deserve it. My speech isn't slurred in the morning like it was (from jaw muscle fatigue), my ears don't ring as loud (irritated blood vessels), I don't have dark circles under my eyes (same), and my gums aren't receded anymore (diminished blood flow).

It really occurs to me when I shave, especially at the back of my jaw. I can move my face in the mornings like I wasn't able to back when I put all that force on those jaw/facial muscles all night, and it's comfortable now!

The last dentist I went to tried to convince me it was a bunch of snake oil, medicine show hooey, but I think it really works for me.

 

[Mrs. Chip]

I'm with you on this one. I have been wearing one for 10 or 11 years now. I don't sleep right without mine. It is like the difference between using a regular bar of soap to a shaving soap.

 

[King of Kailua]

'oubout just drinkin' some chamomile tea and popping a couple valerian?

 

[Aevum]

or drink some good scotch and pop a cigar...

 

[ogopogo]

Is jaw clenching caused by stress?

 

[VFR79]

or drink some good scotch and pop a cigar...

Unfortunately, that method does not work. I would know, I try it every night!

I bought one of those $20 plastic devices at Target, the kind you boil and mold to your teeth. Haven't fitted it yet, but I need to as I clench my jaw every night. My wife also hears my teeth grinding occasionally.

 

[scottydoint]

I need to get something like that. I notice sometimes I clench my jaw during the day for no reason, but not very often. At night I must grind my teeth because some of my teeth have a tiny hole in them and my dentist says that my enamel is wearing down most likely from grinding.

 

[Bluestaco]

or drink some good scotch and pop a cigar...

That won't PREVENT it, but if it will permit me to go get scotch and good cigars, I'll go fill that prescription; why not!?

Is jaw clenching caused by stress?

For a lot of people, that's just about it, as I understand. In my case, I am under less stress than at any point in my life, so I think it's just habit (although I do test off-the-scale in anxiety). Some people just do it. People who grind their teeth are the same way, I think: they just do, and most of the time there is no real reason that I've heard.
I wonder what the scientific explanation really is. (?)

 

[Bubarubu]

I bought one of those $20 plastic devices at Target, the kind you boil and mold to your teeth. Haven't fitted it yet, but I need to as I clench my jaw every night. My wife also hears my teeth grinding occasionally.

I started using one of those (likely the exact same one) a couple of weeks ago and it has made a big difference. I've always ground my teeth (when I was a kid, my parents would have to shut the door to both their bedroom and mine so I wouldn't keep them up) and in the last few years, I've been clenching my jaw during the day as well. Both of those problems have been significantly improved despite being under a whole lot of stress in the last few weeks. I don't have the shoulder, neck and head pain I did before, I sleep more during the night, and I feel more rested when I wake up.

 

[Mrs. Chip]

Unfortunately, that method does not work. I would know, I try it every night!

I bought one of those $20 plastic devices at Target, the kind you boil and mold to your teeth. Haven't fitted it yet, but I need to as I clench my jaw every night. My wife also hears my teeth grinding occasionally.

I have wondered about those boil ones. I have always had one from the dentist. How large is the boiled version....anything like a football guard?

Is jaw clenching caused by stress?

It can be. I know I clench more when more things are going on but I don't know what originally causes it.

 

[Bluestaco]

Some people get by very nicely with the boil ones. I wish I could. ($$) They will definitely protect your teeth, but they really don't do anything to PREVENT the reflex that makes you clench or grind. I guess it depends on how hard and how much you clamp down. I tried one of those first and I tended to clench even more because of the cushion. I chewed it up, too!

The NTI is solid acrylic and just goes on my front teeth. The dentist explained it like this: Your incisors are for biting things off, yes, but they also send a message to your brain saying, "This is only a boiled egg, so don't use that much force," or "This is a bone. You can't chew this." Because the NTI is rock-solid and because I can't touch my canine teeth together (that causes the reflex, they've discovered), I don't clench down. Pretty cool science, I think!

 

[stobes21]

The wife is a grinder, and ended up with a nasty case of TMJ that put her onto a liquid diet for a while. She uses one of those things and it has made a vast improvement.

 

[kongjie]

I don't think I clench and grind but I might. My teeth have a number of cracks developing. Some were the result of a bike crash I had, I think, and I had to get crowns for them because the cracks were making them terrible sensitive to temperature changes.

But just yesterday I went in for my 6 month cleaning and the dentist found several more cracks on other teeth. If the guards weren't so expensive I would try it.