Has anyone found medication helpful for teeth grinding and jaw pain?

[YesYesIDid]

Posting in women's health as I couldn't find a general health section (am I missing something?)

I work in a very stressful environment and had a fair bit of personal life stress too. I'd been single for about 4 years until I met my most recent ex so it was the first time I'd shared a bed in a long time... one morning he asked me did I know I grind my teeth in my sleep? Well no I didn't, but suddenly the jaw aches and headache on a morning made sense

I went to see my dentist who confirmed my teeth were starting to wear down and made me a mouth guard to wear. I absolutely couldn't tolerate it at all - not only did I feel like I was drowning in my own saliva but also the rough texture made me gag (ASD). I've then had masseter Botox a few times and at first it worked wonders, but this latest time....nada

I saw an article in the paper that suggested amitriptyline could work in this instance, but then when I've googled further there doesn't seem to be much evidence to support this? Has anyone had any success with medication for this condition? I have a GP appointment next week, I know I need to book in with the dentist too but I'm worried about expensive reconstruction work already so don't want it to get worse!

I took amitriptyline when my jaw had TMJ issue and was out of alignment. Talk to your doctor. It relaxes your nerves. I was clenching at night due to stress. If you remove the stress ( counselling, meditation talking etc.) jaw issues release. The drug will help. I’d wouldn’t want to be on it long term but it really helped me and I don’t have these issues now and I was waking with night terrors due to stress at one point!

I am on meds for anxiety i cant stop grinding my teeth at night. I still feel scared at night occasionally i have for the longest time. The only reason i can sleep is a combo of meds and sleeping next to my other half makes me feel safer.For me is past crap that sometimes that likes to rear its head

the teeth guard drives me nuts thinking of finding a hocky guard from a sports shop maybe that will be more comfy .Didn't realize there are other meds but more pills have you looked at side effects

Following as I've had very similar issues to you OP

Not medication but my DC who was diagnosed at 13 with chronic TMJ used an Aqualizer mouth guard for a while at the start of her treatment . She just popped it into her mouth when she could. She is now grown up but these are still available. Might be worth a try?

The other thing that was helpful was an appointment with a private London physio who specialised in jaws. She told my DC she had a tongue tie as well as TMJ within the first 5 mins.

@Mum5net would you mind sharing their name please?

I think there's recent research suggesting CBD oil is effective for tooth grinding. I'm going to give it a go. Masseter botox has simply changed which teeth I'm gnashing!

II will DM you @Twilightstarbright

I have had awful teeth grinding issues and with added stress a few years ago my jaw spasmed and I couldn’t open it!
I have gum issues and my specialist advised a mouth guard however I tried with whitening one and I pulled it out.

I have just had my second lot of Botox into my masseters and it has helped massively I am not waking up with ear pain anymore. I did go to a dentist to get it done. Feels strange at first as your bite has to adjust but I would recommend it if you think an expensive guard would end up on the floor :)

there are different mouthguards - I have one on my top jaw only and that’s helped hugely. I wear it during the day now as well (it’s transparent) as I’m finding myself grinding and clenching my jaw in stressful times. I really notice if I don’t wear it as the headaches and pain start up immediately

Agree with Botox! Huge game changer for me. I broke four molars from clenching.

Achy jaw and headaches have all stopped.

Following with interest. I’ve started Botox but like @MaidMiriam its just changing which teeth I’m grinding and I’m also finding I’m holding more tension elsewhere in my body, like it’s just shifting around cos it’s not having the same outlet in my mouth.

it’s making me a bit depressed, actually, realising how severe my muscle tension is.

I’m even considering woo type therapies, which is not like me.

I had constant, excruciating pain in my face, my jaw and neck for years. I had appointment after appointment with dentists, ENT consultants, neurologists, with a barrage of tests, CT scans, MRIs to no avail. I finally found Professor Shakib at Harley Street Maxillofacial clinic. He prescribed a combination of Amitriptyline and specialist head and neck physio which sorted me out in a couple of months. I’m now completely pain free.

I don’t know where you’re located but worthwhile looking into a maxillofacial specialist? Good luck, OP, I hope you get it sorted.

The only thing that has stopped me grinding my teeth is Invisalign - I know it’s not directly answering your question but the retainers are SO light, I don’t even feel i’m
wearing them! I am the worst for grinding my teeth when driving and sleeping, also have a very stressful job so my jaw is constantly clenched. Honestly give them a try!

Following as I was given a mouth guard and I can’t wear it. I think I ground a tooth at the back and I lied and said I’d been wearing the mouth guard when I saw the dentist.

Does that stop the mouth grinding though?

It seems to have done. I think the physio relieved the tension where I was constantly clenching my jaw.

The first few times I tried my mouth guard I was gagging and felt sure I would never get used to it but once I got the hang of it the benefit was instant. If I ever forget to wear it, even for an afternoon nap, the clenching and pain returns instantly. It’s amazing.

I’ve started wearing it during the day when I’m particularly stressed and it feels such a relief to put it in. After 4 years I need a new one as I have worn it down so much!

I'm reading with interest because I have the same problem

Amitriptyline made me feel bizarre the next day

Interested in the lightest mouthguards

To be honest, I'm loath to try that again as I can't sleep with it in

What happened was I actually broke a tooth and I had to have it extracted - I hadn't been to the dentist for ages and he found loads of breaking teeth and other problems

I thought I had stopped grinding my teeth - because I no longer wake up in pain with a swollen face

He thinks that my body has got used to it to some extent, but my teeth are still breaking and obviously I do not want to end up with dentures - currently a very high risk.

I've got a huge amount of dental treatment to sort out the problems, but after that he's saying I've got to have a properly fitted mouthguard

Previously, I had one of those self mould ones

I work at home a lot so I actually don't mind wearing it during the day if it will help break the habit

I've also had insomnia for about 30 years, well actually more! And I found that even the lightweight self mould thing was impossible to sleep in

I'm not sure what to do

Doctor won't prescribe anything - says has to try the mouthguard first

But I'm also not convinced that I am still doing it

I think all the breakages I'm seeing now are from last year when I went through a super stressful legal thing. If I'm not waking up in pain, how much can I really be grinding or clenching? Is everyone here finding that they've got headaches and so on in the morning? I don't have that anymore.

I disagreed for a very long time with my dentist that tooth grinding/clenching was something I did. It took me three mouth guards, or splints as he calls them before I reluctantly agreed he was right and I did have this problem. I got to a point where I struggled to sleep without my mouth guard but recently have had a bout of pain which has stopped me from sleeping and I tend to end up removing the guard because I notice it too much. Sadly, that means the pain in my face has returned.

I took amitriptyline for a couple of years for chronic migraine, at various doses. I don't think it stopped me from clenching or grinding, it did cause a dry mouth which wasn't nice and caused some tooth pain. I'd suggest that no matter how much you dislike a mouth guard, it's far better than amitriptyline. Saying that, amitriptyline is better than constant pain.

I grind my teeth terribly. It was first mentioned to me when I was a teenager by a dentist as the damage was obvious on my teeth. Over the years I've cracked teeth and fillings. There are ridges inside my mouth from my biting my cheeks. I started wearing my mouthguard religiously about ten years ago, as i had to get a few crowns due to damage. My last x ray shows wearing at the joints.
Dentist says to try and manage my stress...
However I have never been heard grinding my teeth at night and I have never woken up in pain or with headaches. If it wasn't for teeth chipping and the evidence on my mouthguard I would never know.
I did go on medication for anxiety some years ago and it made no difference.
Wearing the mouthguard is the only thing that protects my teeth.

Thanks for the recommendations and insights. I have taken amitriptyline before and hated it (tried as a migraine preventative) but I am tempted to try the masseter Botox alongside a new retainer. I struggle badly with gagging- I gagged with the plastic thing for the teeth x rays and I gag when brushing my
teeth and vomit a lot but I will do my best as I want to protect my teeth.

Stress is a funny one, I’ve been made
redundant which is obviously stressful but am now on paid gardening leave so I would have thought my stress would go down! But the teeth grinding thing has been around for a while so I guess it’s not as straightforward as that.

I wore a splint that looked like a small version of a Hawley retainer, I don’t think I would manage well with one of those big guards that cover your teeth and gums. Since having orthodontic treatment, I now wear a Vivera retainer. They do wear out more quickly than they should due to my clenching my jaw but they’re reasonably comfortable.

I've started on amitriptyline since I started this thread but not sure I'm seeing any benefit - I feel like my jaw has realigned and i suddenly find myself with an underbite rather than my teeth meeting in the middle (can this even happen?!)

I wish the Botox was still working but for some reason this time around it just hasn't - although still going to try again in a few months when it's due in case it was an issue with the batch or something! I do need to go to my dentist as my check up is due so will see what he says/recommends. I don't really want to go down the specialist/private route as it would undoubtably be very expensive! Plus travel as there aren't any around where I live (unfortunately as the maxfax team at my local specialist hospital basically rebuilt my face after an accident so I think they're wonderful!)

I have descended into ‘woo’ territory in an attempt to tackle my teeth grinding problem from different angles too.

I regularly meditate and I take magnesium bisglycinate at night. Also I do Zumba as often as I can. Just the shaking out the body seems to dissipate my stress.

Im still wearing my mouth guard !