Bite blocks for clenching online ?

[TippedOverTheGravyJug]

I'm clenching so bad when I sleep. Dentist said they'd discuss at next appointment . However that's not until October I can't wait that long. My jaw hurts and teeth hurt I'm clenching so badly.

Are there any I can buy online in the meantime. I've googled but it's a minefield and don't want to buy a rubbish one

Etsy have sellers that send you stuff to make an impression before making you a mouth guard. I’d avoid the rigid ones though, they hurt more than the nice soft ones. I will see if I can find some to link.

I did also buy from Amazon during lockdown that were okay too, although they were for top teeth rather than bottom, and I did eventually pull my bridge out with it one morning! But they worked well pain wise.

Boots have a couple.

Talk to your gp as there are also muscle relaxing drugs that can be prescribed. I had a gum shield type thing from amazon which you put in hot water then mold it to fit your mouth. It's not great but better than nothing.
I now get botox in my jaw every six months and that has made things so much better. It isn't cheap and I go to a private dentist who specialises in this.

Okay, it was the time to sleep ones I bought off Amazon. Currently out of stock but you can get them on eBay and I think they have their own site too.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time2Sleep-Mouth-Guard-Grinding-Teeth/dp/B071X94G9V

custom ones available
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1684876078/custom-3mm-dental-night-soft-splint-for?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=grinding+mouthguard&ref=sc_gallery-1-1&frs=1&sts=1&mto=1&local_signal_search=1&plkey=daeb46703a73dc2d81d14a9527f967f6947e4deb%3A1684876078

HI,

I am a terrible teeth clencher - best thing I did was 2 acupuncture treatments they made me relax and it sort of 'broke the habit' for me look up one who is recommended - I can tell you about one in st albans if that helps!

Ask your dentist for an emergency appointment and let him order a made to measure gum shield for you.I have one, I wore it for a year and it worked fine, then suddenly I stopped with the clenching.

Thank you. Dentist won't give emergency for that I already tried .
Will try one of the other recommended ones Thank you.

Please be very careful. If a bite guard is not prescribed and made properly it can make clenching and grinding much.much worse. Many of the ready made efforts are very poorly made and fitting.

Grinding and clenching are purely related to stress , although certain antidepressants can make it worse and if this is the case contact your gp to discuss changing them. Chronic pain can also make it more likely you will grind/clench so address this if it affects you.

Mindfullness training or eg yoga have great success in teaching you how to relief the stress in your jaw,neck and shoulders. Simple things like not chewing gum, and putting your tongue between your front teeth can also help as the more you grind/clench the more the muscles get tense/painful and the more you clench.

In the meantime you will not get an emergency appointment but see if you can bring your October appointment forward to possibly have a bite guard made.

The custom made link is for a soft splint which is the dental equivalent of a dog chew toy , will not help if you’re a clencher , will make things worse.

The first one is a one size fits all and very likely to make grinding worse as the bite is likely to be way out .

Search for "sleep clench inhibitor". I am a fellow sufferer and it was so bad for me that I'd nearly broken my teeth. Much money later to repair the damage, I have an SCI that my dentist gets made for me. It is about £250 and I go through them about once every 18 months.

As PP said, they need to be fitted to you, and made specifically to hold your teeth apart. If you have a chance to prevent yourself doing the damage I did, it is worthwhile. I can recommend a good dentist in Surrey if you need one?

Clenching or grinding?

My dentist made me a mouth shield but tbh you could just buy a self mould mouth guard anywhere. You can also get botox to stop it too

Most/all self moulded guards will make things worse as they are ill fitting and not adjusted to your bite .

Botox is not a first line treatment and has quite a few caveats .

Addressing the lifestyle , self care , relaxation , pain control , antidepressant cause is first line , then any dentist made appliance will not have to be used full time.

I'd love the St Albans recommendation if you don't mind sharing!

@ChartMistress have sent you a DM

This.
Bite guards/splints are not going to stop you grinding/bruxing.
Identifying the underlying anxiety cause and treating is more effective.
I take baclofen for chronic back problems. One of the side effects is that they have seriously reduced the episodes of bruxing related TMJ pain. I have sailed through breast cancer diagnosis and DHs stroke without so much as a twinge. Prior to baclofen I would have been banging my head against the wall.
Baclofen is an anti spasmodic and is used for severe TMJ pain. It does cause some side effects initially, drowsiness is the main one, in fact it is not dissimilar to having a couple of double g&to, but that soon settles.
It is prescribed off licence but is becoming more popular.
We all grind/brux but it normally doesn’t cause symptoms. Elevated stress levels intensify the affects of muscle contractions in the facial muscles. Either you address the cause or treat the spasms that eventually result in those muscle groups.

Given most people cannot access an NHS dentist these days, the self moulding guard is an cheap alternative to what the op is currently experiencing.

Even my dds' orthodontist advised this when they had braces. He did recommendn. A specifiic one but it was self moulding as I didn't have 2 x £150 for each child, one for sport, one for grinding.

Following. I have Botox but it doesn't seem to be working this time so am wondering what else I can do.

Putting tongue between the teeth sounds a great idea.

Will a private GO give me baclofen I wonder? I haven't heard of it

Very different when you have braces and teeth are moving and you need for sport etc. to an adult with fixed dentition and a clenching/grinding habit.
OP has a dentist .
The linked self molding bite guards will make most peoples problems far worse because they are
bulky so will over open most people , making symptoms worse,

not adjusted for bite , introducing interferences which will make symptoms worse

poorly fitting because you Mold in hot water and the warmth of the mouth makes them distort easily . They are also one size fits all and for many people they won’t even fit all the teeth inside the tray.

The baclofen was for a chronic back problem pp had. Chronic pain anywhere in the body is one of the progenitors of grinding/clenching.

Unfortunately some people do find Botox has reduced efficacy. I presume you have been through pain/stress/ lifestyle management are not on antidepressants , don’t chew gum etc ?

Sorry didn't expect so many replies. Definitely clenching. I will go into the dentist next week rather than call and try to explain. I'd sooner get something properly fitted going by the replies as i don't want to make it worse so I'll scrap idea of a ready made one.

I got a tooth whitening kit from boots and moulded the trays from that. Was less than £10 and worked wonders. My TMJ was so bad I could barely open my mouth, they wanted to treat with diazepam but I had newborn twins so that wasn't going to work!

OP i went to my GP as I was getting debilitating head pain from the clenching. She did not prescribe anything at the time, but dud refer me to the maxillo-facial unit at the hospital.
I find the mouthguard protects my teeth, but does nothing for the clenching. A properly fitting hard splint can change your bite for the better and decrease pain.
The botox worked wonders for me I see a consultant for it, not somebody who does it for beauty reasons. That might be why it works so well as it is very carefully placed.

To add- i currently use a soft mouthguard (fitted by my usual dentist who doesn't do the hard ones) as I broke the hard one. I find I chew on it, but it still protects my teeth. I live in fear of losing it. I need a new hard one but need to save up.
It may well be stress related but also very much becomes habit which I'm hoping the botox will eventually break 🙏
I do sympathise as the pain is miserable, but I no longer wake up overnight or in the morning with a painful head or face. My teeth are no longer breaking under the strain, either. So I am due to get some repairs done soon, hopefully for the last time!

Is your dentist NHS or private? My dentist is NHS but she made me mine privately for less than the NHS appliance cost.

If your current dentist is NHS, it might be worth seeing if you can find a private one to fit you in sooner as a one off service. You might have to pay an initial check up fee but it still might be cheaper overall. Current NHS charge would be £319.10 - mine cost me £150. And hopefully the wait would be significantly less.

My jaw issues were put down to stress but I’m now convinced it’s related to me being on Citalopram.

I’m a dentist, probably the cause of my chronic back pain😂
I was prescribed Baclofen for pyriformis syndrome when my thigh muscle went into constant spasm, similar to the way the facial muscles can spasm with TMJ disorder.
It wasn’t until I went through some extremely stressful situations which would normally have triggered TMJ symptoms that I did a bit of research and found recent studies where Baclofen has been used for acute TMJ pain.
Most patients suffer mild to moderate pain from TMJ during acute episodes, but for the very small number where neuro pain killers such as gabapentin are not working, baclofen has been successful.
As I said it is an observation from my own experience but it is becoming more popular.
I now take a very low dose for my back and can increase the dose temporarily if I push my body too far. It has allowed me to rebuild my core strength which helps prevent acute episodes.
If your TMJ aim is very debilitating, for example interferes with sleeping eating and prevents normal activity it may be worth chatting with your GP. It’s a relatively new way of treating it but may be more effective for some people.