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Original poster

Calling reformed jaw clenchers

35 replies

PraiseBee · 21/02/2022 13:26

I started clenching my jaw when sleeping after I had my first DC. I would really like to stop now. Anyone managed to stop and got some solid advice to pass on? Botox? Acupuncture? How did you do it? I wear a mouth guard to protect my teeth and it keeps migraines at bay but I'm still uncomfortable.

OP posts:
Original poster
PraiseBee · 21/02/2022 14:45

Anyone?

OP posts:
Wishihadanalgorithm · 21/02/2022 14:48

Once you start and keep going for a decent amount of time it is really difficult to stop. Botox didn’t work for me but hypnotherapy was brilliant - just need to have regular “top ups”. I have seen a chiropractor which helped with the pain but didn’t stop me. I take amitriptyline (sp) which helps a bit.

toastfiend · 21/02/2022 14:51

Following for advice. I've never noticed this until recently but a few months back DH commented that I'd been grinding my teeth in my sleep and I realised that I do clench my jaw a lot during the day. It's noticeable in the mornings now as my jaw feels stiff. I need to see the dentist about a mouth guard but also keen to try to stop doing it.

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Dental health
Susu49 · 21/02/2022 14:54

Dentist fitted mouth guard helps so much.
I'd love to have the botox treatment but I can't afford right now.

YNK · 21/02/2022 14:55

Mine stopped when I was treated for pernicious anaemia, but not before it claimed many teeth.
Don't take any supplements containing B12 in the 4 months before getting these tested - B12, folate, ferritin, fbc and full thyroid panel.

itwasntaparty · 21/02/2022 15:00

My doctor recommended valium which wasn't going to work with small DTs!

I ended up with a mouthguard after cracking a tooth and having to get it extracted. I wore it for about six months. It was definitely stress related for me, I haven't done it for years. When it was really bad I could barely open my mouth.

toomuchlaundry · 21/02/2022 15:05

I wear a mouthguard, it protects my teeth but doesn't stop me grinding teeth/clenching my jaw as I eventually eat my way through the mouthguard! But I don't get any pain so don't get any other treatment

pontiouspilates · 21/02/2022 15:12

I've just found out that I do this as my dentist saw scarring inside my mouth. Do you all get the bespoke mouthguards? My dentist quoted £180 for one!

Xiaoxiong · 21/02/2022 15:22

Mine stopped 4 weeks after I walked out of my old job. My eczema disappeared in that timeframe too.

Anything stressful in your life I would try hard to minimise and get as much support as you can or you might find your molars crumbling (mine never got quite that far gone thank goodness)

3teens2cats · 21/02/2022 15:23

I am a terrible jaw clencher! The only thing that helps me is working on the underlying stress. I meditate each night and have worked really hard on mindfulness techniques. I catch myself doing it in the day too. I take ibuprofen for the pain when it's really bad otherwise the pain just adds to the stress and it's a vicious cycle. I have a mouth guard which i find difficult to sleep with so will wear it in the evening to try and train my jaw into a more natural position. I also do tmj exercises too when it gets bad.

Littlemissprosecco · 21/02/2022 15:29

You really need a purpose made hard mouthguard from a dentist, together with prescription muscle relaxants. Especially as this is long standing
Also try to destress, a long bath before bed? Not alcohol!! ( a lot easier said than done)

TottiePlantagenet · 21/02/2022 15:34

@pontiouspilates

I've just found out that I do this as my dentist saw scarring inside my mouth. Do you all get the bespoke mouthguards? My dentist quoted £180 for one!
My mouth guard is from my dentist. The first one was over a hundred pounds, because he needed to take moulds of my teeth.

Subsequent replacement guards cost around £50, mine last about 9 months on average.

I too chew through mine after several months :(

Partey · 21/02/2022 15:35

Botox worked here, reduced subsequent headaches to zero too!

MauveMavis · 21/02/2022 15:35

mouthguard. Dentist fitted.

I get a terrible headache if I forget to put it in.

SilverHairedCat · 21/02/2022 15:42

No idea how you stop though. I've done it all my adult life and no dentist has ever been able to give the slightest piece of advice. Ever.

I've worn night guards for 20+years and have lots of damage to my teeth. They are so worn, I hate it, and I can't have remedial work done as I'd shatter that too.

Littlemissprosecco · 21/02/2022 15:42

If you’re chewing through mouthguards then they’re not the fully fitted functional ones, as these are rock hard

SilverHairedCat · 21/02/2022 15:45

@Littlemissprosecco I beg to differ. My record for a dentist provided (ie fully fitted and functional) guard was 3 nights. I was furious.

For years I couldn't afford to replace them and bought the cheap mouldable tooth bleaching trays off ebay and some lasted weeks. It's a big variation in how people grind and some of us are much worse than others.

My current guard has lasted about a year which is something of a record. I bought four just before lockdown #1 and thank god I did. This is my last one now - I'd never have got one during the lockdowns.

Littlemissprosecco · 21/02/2022 15:48

Is there any bend in them at all?

tothefareast80 · 21/02/2022 15:51

A special mouth guard for front teeth only sorted mine out. It's stopped me being able to clench my back teeth therefore allowing the muscles to relax during sleep and after a few months the habit ceased. Now I only do it if I'm stressed or anxious.

My mouth guard is called an NTI.

TottiePlantagenet · 21/02/2022 15:52

@Littlemissprosecco

If you’re chewing through mouthguards then they’re not the fully fitted functional ones, as these are rock hard
Please could you clarify what "fully fitted functional" means?

My dentist made moulds of top and bottom teeth, the guards that I get from their labs are solid thick rubbery/plasticky material (I don't know the actual composition obviously). But they're not "rock hard", which sounds kind of uncomfortable actually...

Also, any tips on how to keep mouth guards clean? I use half a tab of fizzy denture cleaning stuff (brain fog, what's the proper name??) every day in water, and the guard still goes yellowy after a few months.

Dentist says I only need to rinse in water, but then I find it becomes smelly.

Littlemissprosecco · 21/02/2022 16:04

To get a guard to fully function with jaw movements ( not just to protect the teeth) it needs to be made on an articulator, it will need to be done using a face bow, and will usually need a fair few fitting visits as yes they are really rock hard!
As for cleaning, try warm water, a toothbrush and fairy liquid

Littlemissprosecco · 21/02/2022 16:07

Not all dentists will have this equipment! So they just send to labs to basically have sports guards made, it’s not the same!

toomuchlaundry · 21/02/2022 16:29

@Littlemissprosecco how much would one of those cost? Mine cost about £100 and my NHS dentist gets me to pay for them privately as would be more expensive via NHS!

Littlemissprosecco · 21/02/2022 16:35

They’ll vary obviously, £100s, but when made and fitted properly will last a lifetime ( unless dropped, stood on or eaten by the dog). You probably need to look for a dentist that specialises in, headaches/ TMJ dysfunction/ restorative dentistry. It’s not that your normal dentist can’t do it( unless they don’t have the articulator) it that they probably don’t do enough of them

ClumpingBambooIsALie · 21/02/2022 16:37

Stopped taking sertraline. It's a bitch for teeth-clenching.

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