Does anyone wear mouth guards for jaw clenching?

[CreatingHavoc]

My dentist has given me an upper and lower mouth guard but they are really making my teeth hurt and I can't get over quite how gross it is to only be able to wash them in cold water when I'm having to put them in my mouth every nigh 🤢 I feel I should be cleaning them more thoroughly somehow.
I'm not even sure they are helping with my jaw problems as the pain just appears to be in different places now. I guess my teeth are not being worn down and weakened but still, I'm in pain.

My mouth is generally not a good place at the moment as every time I eat crisps or similar I seem to get sore gums and need to do salt water rinses. I seem to have tooth/gum pain almost every day but the dentist says they can't see anything wrong with the teeth. I've got a hygiene appointment soon to try and help with the gum issues. Does anyone have any tips for what can only be described as 'loose gums'?!? I'm sticking to a soft diet for now.

I have retainers at night both for jaw clenching and post- Invisalign, and use retainer brite from Amazon to soak them after every use, then give them a little brush every so often as well. Not sure why your dentist said not to clean them, no wonder you don’t fancy using them! They really do help with the jaw tension and once you get used to them, you’ll feel weird sleeping without them.

I have one just for the bottom teeth. My dentist advised soaking in dilute Milton fluid to clean it

Dentist here. I normally recommend a denture brush or separate toothbrush to the one you use to clean your teeth to clean a bite guard. Toothpaste is abrasive and it scratches hard and soft guards and can make them look chalky or increase staining. Use detergent such as washing up liquid.

Yes I went to the dentist with jaw pain from clenching, they tried me with a mouth guard split and whilst it did protect my teeth it didn't help with the pain. They referred me to the hospital and I had some Botox injections in my jaw muscles which alleviated the pain so much! Currently waiting for my next dose

I have a bottom one - initially I had a top one but my last few have been bottom, not sure why. I’ve never had both at once.

I clean it with washing up liquid and warm water which is what my dentist suggested. At the beginning of any new one I find it uncomfortable/makes me gag so I tend to wear it in the day with a timer for short bursts - ten minutes, then 20 etc. my current one came with the mould of my teeth for some reason (!) and had a really horrible taste at the start but it is fine now.

Thanks all. A few people mentioned botox. Is this something that can be done on the NHS?

@CreatingHavoc yes, I was referred through my NHS dentist and it's done at another NHS practice, waiting list is quite long but may vary in different areas. Well worth it if it's the right treatment for you

Just a thought but you could also clean it with a Milton steriliser tablet in cold water?? Since having a baby I discovered them when sterilising bottles but now use them to soak other stuff aswell! x

Following this as I am going to see my GP for involuntary jaw-clenching this week. I literally get a pain in my face from it. Having seen the dentist before, I think mine is more stress-related due to work as I don’t get it at night. I’m not grinding my teeth, but my jaw hinge seems to carry all the strain when I have bad days.

I hate mine.

It was specially made for me after I split my large bottom molars on both sides through grinding. My dentist was very sad to pull out one which entirely split because it was otherwise healthy. The other one had a root canal which was very expensive 😏

I hate wearing it, it feels irritating and it gets a bit yucky smelling. Also I do a lot of teeth crunching/grinding/gnashing during the day.

The two teeth split, within months of each other, when I was going through a particularly stressful time.

Do you get the pain on one side?

Yes, left more than right.

Can I ask if you suffer from anxiety? Or peri menopausal?

I have the exact symptoms as you
i have literally been to see lots of people from
dentist
dental hospital
tmd professional
tmd physio
mouth guard
iv spend hundreds of pounds trying to get to the bottom off it
none of my teeth are worn down !

my conclusion is with me is
anxiety
when I stress or out of my comfort zone

Oh forgot Botox in jaw

Thanks @peanutbutter00 i will ask about it as I wake up every morning with pain in my jaw and head from all the clenching, even though I'm wearing a mouth guard. I think it exacerbates / causes my migraines as well.