Grinding Teeth at Night

I have bite guard custom made by my dentist. I had trouble sleeping for a couple nights, but now I can't fall asleep without it! It's great, and lowers my stress to know I'm no longer damaging my teeth while I sleep. I think I had to pay out of pocket, but in the long run it saves money on dental care.

Hi, Jen. I am so sorry for your pain. I suffered from migraines for 5 years starting in 1998. And about 3 days a week I would have to either stay home from work and lie down in my dark basement all day in misery, or else tough it out at work downtown and have the maintenance guys remove my bulbs in my office above my desk. I had been to my ENT to find out if it was my sinuses causing them. Nope. He referred me to a Pain Specialist who basically took a huge needle and shot lidocaine in my occiputal nerves in the back of my head to deaden the nerves (because the pain was so bad I could barely keep my eyes open) - and boom - headaches were gone. I also tried deep tissue massage (which helped my stress). But they were all helping my symptoms but not finding a cure for the migraines. They were so bad that my husband took me to a neurologist and had them do an MRI on me to make sure I didn't have a tumor growing on my brain. Nothing - but he gave me several prescriptions for very expensive migraine medicine ($100 for 6 of them) and I popped them like candy every week.

So one day I thought about WHEN I would have the worst headaches - when I woke up. My jaws ached in the morning too. So I knew I grinded my teeth at night because every time I went to the dentist, they told me my teeth were really filed down in the back and we needed to get serious about a mouth piece to wear at night. I had tried 3 of them and they all made me want to chomp, chomp, chomp. So I stopped wearing them because they weren't helping. Then I remembered my jaws hurt too, so I looked up "jaw pain migraines" on Yahoo and found all kinds of information about jaw clenching. I never knew I was a jaw clencher. I had a stressful job, but not as stressful as alot of other people's jobs (and now that I'm a stay-at-home mother - I couldn't even come close to THIS stressful!).

I found this website about a NTI-tss mouthpiece that was unlike all the mouthpieces in my drawer (and the drugstores).
http://www.headacheprevention.com/index.php?option=com_co...

I read every page top to bottom to make sure I wasn't spending another hard earned dollar on yet another piece of plastic in my bathroom drawer. This piece actually just fits on the front top 2 teeth (like they said to bite a pencil with your front teeth - the back teeth will not touch, therefore, you can't grind or clench!!!). The other mouthguards lay on top of every tooth - making your canines and back teeth want to chomp because my dentist told me they have sensors on them telling them to chomp because something is there (when you're asleep, you can't control them and NOT chomp).

I went out to the Find Provider section, found a dentist here in Olathe and used it the first night I got it and haven't had a migraine since. That was in 2003 - right before I gave birth to my first child (since I knew I couldn't keep taking migraine drugs before I decided to get pregnant - they can't be in your system for months before you conceive!). It cost $300. I had to get another one this year (7 years later - not bad!) because my front teeth are shifting around and the old one didn't fit as well or tightly like it should. The new one was $400, but we put aside the money in our Health Savings Account for it. My husband knows it's worth it if I don't have migraines anymore. Cheaper than the doc visits, the drugs, the downtime I had to have in the dark basement just to survive the day (there IS no time for downtime when you have kids who need you!). It's my birthday present every 7 years we decided. I found a ton of providers for you in the St. Louis area, so you shouldn't have a problem finding a dentist to fit one for you. Good luck!

I've done this for years too and tried both the OTC boil guards and the dentist made ones. The dentist one was MUCH better as I could never get the boiled one to fit right--maybe I bit too hard. I have also been told to lay off the extremely crunchy-chewy foods like granola, gum, steak, etc. when I'm having the jaw pain. Also, hot compresses on your jaw in front of yours ears does help. I also had a great head/neck massage once that relieved the pain for months. Look into massage therapy for TMJ and you may find help there.

I bought one of the over the counter ones that came with two mouthpieces. the first one i did as they suggest and fit it to my upper teeth. i discovered it blocked my breathing a little and kept slipping out. i had previously read a suggestion on this site to try fitting it to my lower teeth, so i did that and it worked great! when you are fitting it to your teeth, dont bite down as hard as you can. just bite down normally and it will fit better. good luck!

I'd like to have some advice on this as well... Just last week I had to go to the dentist because I chipped my tooth. When my dentist filed it down he said I'm grinding my teeth BAD at night and I will continue to chip my teeth in the future because of the enamel wearing down... I have a night guard that was made for me by the dentist but I HATE it.. It's really uncomfortable and I won't wear it...Good luck!

I think you can get a football-type mouth guard that you boil to shape to your mouth....would save you a LOT of $$$ over O. from the dentist--maybe worth a try?

hi -
I grind my teeth too (but I don't get headaches instead I wear down the enamel on my teeth :( I had my dentist make a mouth guard for me (he took an impression and them casted the mold from thin plastic it was a little pricey ($100) but has lasted more than 4 years and fits my mouth just right (I also used my Flexible Spending Account $$ to pay for it).

teeth grinding can be due to stress/anxiety but it can also be due to crooked teeth/abnormal bite.

Tips (http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/teeth-grinding-bru...:
What Can I Do to Stop Grinding My Teeth?
1) Your dentist can fit you with a mouth guard to protect your teeth from grinding during sleep.

2) If stress is causing you to grind your teeth, ask your doctor or dentist about options to reduce your stress. Attending stress counseling, starting an exercise program, seeing a physical therapist, or obtaining a prescription for muscle relaxants are among some of the options that may be offered.

*Other tips to help you stop teeth grinding include:

3) Avoid or cut back on foods and drinks that contain caffeine, such as colas, chocolate, and coffee.

4) Avoid alcohol. Grinding tends to intensify after alcohol consumption.
Do not chew on pencils or pens or anything that is not food. Avoid chewing gum as it allows your jaw muscles to get more used to clenching and makes you more likely to grind your teeth.

5) Train yourself not to clench or grind your teeth. If you notice that you clench or grind during the day, position the tip of your tongue between your teeth. This practice trains your jaw muscles to relax.

6) Relax your jaw muscles at night by holding a warm washcloth against your cheek in front of your earlobe

Good luck!

I buy athletic mouth guards at Wal Mart for like $2.00. There are 2 in the package. You'll find them in the sporting goods section. They are no where near as good as the ones your dentist makes for you, but they are so much cheaper! They are also consideraly cheaper than the OTC mouthguards you find in the tooth paste isle. The only problem I've had is that they make me drool like crazy when I'm sleeping. Otherwise, you can't beat them for the price!

the boil your own mouth guards are really not at all comparable to what the dentist can make for you. They will not last you and might make your problems worse.

I paid 400 for my mouth guard and 2 months later I saw a product in the drug store for about $30. You place it in hot water and then bite into it. You end up with your own mouth guard.. Just follow the directions and how to store it properly. I was told store it in water and no toothpaste should be used on it..

I wish I had seen it before.

I have always ground my teeth and now it was starting to weaken them. Head aches and jaw pain..