Do any of you grind your teeth while you sleep?

I'm just back from the dentist, having had the 4th tooth extracted in the same number of weeks :( For years I've known I grind my teeth in my sleep and previously when I've spoken to the dentist about it, all they've done is remove the teeth I've broken during my grinding seesions (that's 6 teeth out now, that have needed to be exctracted that I've snapped off/chipped away)..

However, this dentist has just fitted me for a shield (I pick it up monday), that I am to wear on my bottom teeth while I sleep. This should stop the damage I am causing to my teeth. He did say they take quite a bit of getting used to.

What I'm wondering is, does anybody else wear one of theese shields? Does anyone have any hints/tips for getting used to them, or any other tips for stopping me grinding my teeth. If I can't get used to he shield, I'll haveno teeth left!

Oh and how lovely, my face is still like uncontrollable rubber from the injections at the dentist and I'm due to go to the hairdressers in a min - how embarassing!

I do it too, believe it or not i cant do it when i'm awake. Its usually worse if someone has pi$$ed me off or upset me during the day lol

Been there done it and written the book and two operations later due to my cartilage in my jaw dislocating

I have a very bad bite but also grind my teeth and have lost about 4 teeth due to fractures because of it !

I did have a mouth guard but didn't get on with it as it just made the jaw pain even worse.

They are though very effective on most people so give it a try :-)

> I do it too, believe it or not i cant do it when i'm awake.

I believe you! I can't stand tooth grinding/clenching when I'm awake, I can't even bare to see somebody else do it. Weird, Isn't it how we can manage to do something while asleep, that we can't stand when awake!

> Been there done it and written the book and two operations later due to my cartilage in my jaw dislocating

Oh my gosh You poor thing, that must have been so painfull :(

Ooooooooooooh sympathies... just visited my dentist yesterday with tooth pain on one side (upper molar) which has been recurring.  He has done another set of x-rays and still can't find anything worth filling or decay,etc... thinks perhaps because there is still pain that there MIGHT be a hairline crack in the tooth, but said it wouldn't show up on the x-ray.
I'm convinced the pain is due to my teeth grinding.  I do it in my sleep, but I also know I have an incorrect bite (should never have bred! lol) and tend to clench my jaw when concentrating or stressed.... ouch :(

Oh my gosh  You poor thing, that must have been so painfull Yes it was quite miserable and made worse on the second OP as I had Bells Palsy as a result of nerve damage during the OP. The feelings and movement came back after about 6 months or so although still suffer from muscle spasms sometimes when I eat things which is annoying but liveable , more so than haing the pain before ! Luckily my last OP was about 20 years ago so quite good !

The first surgeon who did the OP was a chap called Air Commodore Quant who is (or was as not sure if he is still alive ) Mary Quants brother ! It was quite funny as I remember the first ever consultation he said that the problem I have is often called Honeymooners Jaw and is often seen in younger married (or not ) women ! I assured him (as my ex husband and I were not at that stage on very good terms) that my jaw issue was not down to that ! :-D

My dentist reckons I do it too but I have not lost any teeth over it, which is amazing as I think I have rather brittle teeth, don't get me on the subject of pork scratchings!!

> What I'm wondering is, does anybody else wear one of theese shields? Does anyone have any hints/tips for getting used to them, or any other tips for stopping me grinding my teeth. If I can't get used to he shield, I'll haveno teeth left!

Sorry I haven't any tips :(  Doctor said mine is due to anxiety & I just have to chill (easier said then done haha) and with the mouth guard.....yes it does stop the actual teeth grinding but doesn't stop the jaw movement, which is the big problem for me as I get very bad headaches from grinding.
I also never seem to keep it in through out all of the night, I usually wake up with it in my hair or under my pillow ha ha

Muscle spasms that's interesting I get those occasionally due to shingles in th trigeminal nerve. Annyoing as its like a cramp in one muscle under my jaw but livable with. I dint realise grinding ones teeth could be so awful

I know it's easier said than done but it's worth trying to work on the cause, as well as the symptoms :)

Talk to your Doctor (or alternative practitioner) about steps you can take to improve your quality of sleep, and or reduce your stress levels.  I know it isn't quite that simple but just preventing you from damaging your teeth really isn't a long term solution, you need to stop the grinding if possible.

Cutting out caffeine before bed is certainly something that helps my OH to sleep better and grind less, but it's only one of a number of things he can do.  Another thing to look at is the age of your bed - an uncomfortable bed can really impact on your sleep patterns and nighttime behaviours :)

I wonder how many of us suffer from CD teeth ! :-D

It us funny how they have changed treatment of certain thing when you have severe symptoms as I had !!

I used to have steroid injections right into my jaw joint ( I was sedated as the needle was very large and had to go right into the joint ) which they now say shouldn't be done !! And they also prescribed a low dosage of anti depressants as they thought it gave a very mild muscle relaxant effect but now if you read up on rhe condition they now say certain ones actually are a side effect of some !!

This is quite a good article that covers the condition quite well and it us surprising how many people it does effect !!
http://www.colgate.com/app/CP/US/EN/OC/Information/Articles/Oral-and-Dental-Health-Basics/Common-Concerns/Bruxism-Tooth-Grinding/article/Bruxism-Teeth-Grinding.cvsp
I manage my grinding especially during the day by , avoiding work , ( sorry should gave added conflicts with idiots by deep breathing and counting to ten ! ), I also chew chewing gum which sounds like grinding but it acts as a buffer so the teeth don't grind together. It also helps with plaque build up so a double benefit !

> I know it's easier said than done but it's worth trying to work on the cause, as well as the symptoms :-)
>

I've got to see my Dr. in a few weeks to get my contraceptive implant changed, I'll have a word with him, I'll also have another chat with my dentist (due back to see him in2 weeks)

I've started swimming twice a week for the past 6 weeks (excersie can help stress levels), BUT I drink lots of coffee, to the point I think I must have coffee running through my veins instead of blood!!!! I'll cut out night-time coffee and see if that helps (I hadn't actually thought of that).

My bed (and matress) is 11 years old, but I am in no position to do anything about that :(

As my teeth don't fit together very well and I wouldn't be suprised if the Dr. said I was stressed, I don't know if it'spossible to pin-point the cause (I will try), that's why I'm so glad to be picking up my mouth guard as at least I can stop the symptoms of snapping off my teeth (hopefully) :)

> I usually wake up with it in my hair or under my pillow ha ha

LOL!
Thanks for that - I don't tend to get headaches from grinding, just pain through my teeth and into my jaw/face. THe dentist said that grinding into the mouth guard instead of onto my own teeth should stop the damage to my teeth and the guard acts as a shock-absorber, so I wont get the pain I get know. Poor you, getting headaches too :(