Oversensitive teeth

[justanotherquestion]

Arghh, in agony here. All one side of my mouth seems to have become very sensitive to hot and cold and one tooth to pressure. It varies from day to day, somedays I need to take pain killers, other days the pain is more fleeting.

Sooo... I went to the Dentist last week and he says I am a 'grinder', the cold weather, acidic foods, a small chip off one tooth and over-brushing but not flossing, have all contributed to the problem. He recommended sensodyne toothpaste and a gum shield and said it should calm down soon.

I must admit, the sensodyne has probably helped, but I am now thinking that the day to day fluctuation is probably from 'grinding' at night. How much do these mouth guards cost? Can anyone recommend them? (not particularly enamoured with the idea of going to bed with a mouth guard!).

Anyone prepared to share experiences?

I have got one but I had to be referred to a maxillo-facial consultant to have various investigations first. The guard was on the NHS so I haven't paid for it.

I thought they had to be fitted to your mouth, so I'm not sure if you could just buy one. However you may be able to get your gp to refer you to a consultant if the problem is grinding (as that doesn't just affect your teeth but can really damage your jaw). It's helping a bit but I'd recommend you ask for a thin, hard one as they feel a bit less cumbersome in your mouth.

Thanks. Yes have a slightly clicking jaw from time to time and trouble opening my mouth.

Sounds exactly like me. I'd definitely recommend seeing your gp.

GPs know very little about grinding. Your dentist can refer you to a consultant or there may be an occlusion expert locally who they may refer you to but likely to be private. From professional experience a cheap soft bite guard will work just as well as an expensive all singing all dancing occlusal splint. Grinding is usually stress related and intermittent so it will settle in time but you can damage teeth while you are actively grinding.
I tend to take ibuprofen to reduce the inflammation which causes the sensitivity in the teeth.
With severe cases I often refer to GP for antidepressants or amitripyline which can help with the stress - think life changing event, or pretty much everyday life for most mums.It's tough being the one who shoulders most of the stress in the family!

*tough

Thank you willdoitinaminute. I have ordered a fairly cheap softbite guard which is specially moulded and will see how I get on with that. I cannot help thinking it may be due to over brushing as it has got a lot better over the last few days. My mouth has literally been too sore to brush! The inflammation has lessened and the pain (if any) is now fleeting - unfortunately I am allergic to NSAIDs.

No, a gp won't know much about teeth grinding, but they can refer you to a maxillo-facial specialist who does!

My dentist said there was no further referral she could make and I had to go via my gp. Of course it might be different in different areas, but generally you don't go to a gp for expertise (as they are by nature generalists) - you go to them because they are the gatekeepers into the wider nhs.