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Does anyone wear a mouth guard while sleeping?

Tacori E-ring

Tacori E-ring

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 15, 2005
Messages
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I am going to call my dentist tomorrow, but I am curious what other's have experienced. I finally broke down and got a real mouth guard from my dentist. I have been a lifetime teeth grinder and am starting to do damage. My dentist talked me into getting a new design since I have no experience with them. It goes on 3/4 of my bottom teeth (which is suppose to be more comfortable) and it has maybe a half inch above my bottom front few teeth for optimal protection (I guess). I am finally getting used to wearing it (took a few nights), but I am starting to get concerned b/c I seem to be biting down so hard in my sleep I am starting to get an indentation of my front tooth on the top of the guard (if that makes sense). Keep in mind I have only worn it 4 times. I have also woken up b/c my front (top) teeth hurt and they are so sore in the morning. This doesn't seem normal. I fear I will damage my front teeth in order to protect my molars. Anyone have any thoughts or advice?
 
I got a bite plate in response to grinding my teeth and liked it after I got accustomed to it, but I'm not sure if a bite plate is the same as a mouth guard. I got some scraping/scuffing and indentation on my bite plate because instead of grinding my teeth together, I was instead grinding on the guard. Not sure what to tell you about the sore teeth, though. Definitely worth a call to the dentist. I hope it works out for you.
 
I wear a traditional style bite guard on my upper teeth due to grinding. I have worn it for several years and I have scarred it and dented it all up. I think that you should ask your dentist about whether you are transferring your stress to your front teeth. I wish I could remember the details but a couple of years ago my dentist went on this long tangent about a seminar he had been to about teeth grinding and related issues. He described a whole body of dental research/science on the specifics of grinding/etc. It apparently is related to TMJ and all sorts of other muscular issues and often is related to how your bite lines up. He told me that they can often fix it by fixing your bite.

I never followed up but there are supposed to be specialists out there who know all the ropes. Hope you find some relief.
 
I wear a mouth guard most nights. I'll admit that I hate wearing it, so I'll go periods where I take a break, then feel guilty and wear it again.

I like this style by Sleep Right: http://www.splintek.com/ph/sleepright.html

I get the most durable one and still am able to grind through the pads in less than a year. I figure it's better than grinding through my teeth though. I like this style because it's soft and takes up the least amount of space in my mouth. It has bite pads only for the molars, so it won't mess up your front teeth the way other styles can.
 
Tacori, my husband has worn a mouth guard since he was a kid, so I dont' have first-hand experience but I asked him about it. His is similar to yours--it's a soft guard worn across his bottom teeth. He gets them from his dentist. He has to replace them every 12 - 18 months because he grinds through them. He grinds through on his molars, but also his top teeth. He grinds left to right and his front two teeth will start to wear down the front of his mouth guard. I asked him if it hurt his top teeth and he said a little, but much less than it would if he didn't wear the mouth guard. It sounds like your front teeth are hurting MORE than if you didn't wear it, so now I wonder if the plastic is just too thick there or something? So that it's catching on your front teeth where it wouldn't if you didn't have the mouth guard?
 
I tried, but I'd wake up every morning with no mouthguard in my mouth. Most days I'd have to search through my room to find it, as I was apparently yanking it out of my mouth and chucking it across the room in my sleep.

I'm interested to hear about your experiences, because I *should* be wearing one. I just can't justify spending the money on one if I'm going to rip it out and heave it across the room every night.
 
Thanks everyone for the advice/comments!

I bought one through the dentist ($500..ouch) b/c I could not tolerate the store ones. Too bulky. They fit EXACTLY to my teeth and actually click in so it cannot fall out. I called my dentist's office and wouldn't you know it they are on vacation :roll: So I will have to wait. I know I need something b/c there is some damage on my molars AND I have a few hairline cracks which she thinks is from grinding. So I know a small investment SHOULD payoff in the long run but I am NOT liking the stress on my front teeth :nono: They probably can shave down the bite or maybe I need an upper guard instead. Fingers crossed they have a solution!
 
Tacori - My DH is a dentist.
I'll ask him about it tomorrow (he is sleeping now - I'm on Sydney Australia time) and get back to you.
 
Diva that would be great!!!! Thank you! The stress seems to be on my two front teeth where I seem to be clenching on the top of the guard. My teeth get the brunt of my stress! Poor teeth!
 
I had one. I wore it for one night and it made me gag. I left it on the bedside table and the cat ran off with it. :bigsmile:
 
Maisie, they warned me that animals like it! Luckily I have a pretty little case. It takes getting used to for sure. I felt some gagging until I realized I didn't push the guard down all the way :rolleyes: By the 4th night it was fairly comfortable but them I was having the other issues. This has been a TOUGH year on my teeth.
 
I have one that I wore for a few months when I first got it, but it gave me headaches so I stopped wearing it.
 
Tacori E-ring said:
Maisie, they warned me that animals like it! Luckily I have a pretty little case. It takes getting used to for sure. I felt some gagging until I realized I didn't push the guard down all the way :rolleyes: By the 4th night it was fairly comfortable but them I was having the other issues. This has been a TOUGH year on my teeth.
Click to expand...

This is definitely true--DH has had three mouthguards replaced after our dogs chewed them up. And our dogs aren't chewers at all. The combination of morning breath and soft plastic seems too be too enticing.
 
Vesper, that is interesting. I used to wake up would sore teeth, jaw so I hope that stops when they figure out what is going on with my guard.

NEL, so far my cats have left it alone but my daughter things it is pretty cool. I panicked when she grabbed it b/c that would be one expensive toy!
 
I mustn't have pushed my mouth guard into place properly. Luckily I didn't have to pay for mine so I didn't lose lots of money. I still grind my teeth and get headaches and jaw pain too. I should get back to the dentist.

I'm sorry you have had such a bad time with your teeth Tacori, its not an inexpensive process for you.
 
Maisie, I have just had really BAD luck this year. Prior to this I only had a few cavities (though I was a grinder). The root canal/crown was a PITA but those things happen. Between that and now the mouth guard I feel like I go to a dentist every week! I long for the day when I don't have tooth pain or a reason to call my dentist.
 
Maisie - this is the reply from my DH:

Has she had a splint done to cover the top teeth? Might be something to try, and see if the same soreness arise from the bottom front teeth.

The important thing to note is that wearing down the rubber on the splint just means she will need and can easily replace them once she wears the splint out. If she doesn't wear the splint and the same level of grinding takes place while she sleeps, she will wear down all her teeth very soon (in the matter of weeks/months) leaving her with a mouth of tooth stumps and will be very costly and difficult to restore/replace...especially due to her grinding habit.

She could request to have a specialist referral to see a prosthodontist, these are specialists that normally make removable or fixed false teeth (dentures, crowns/bridges and implants), in many countries they do get trained in dealing with problems and/or issues that arise from the temporomandibular joint. This is something definitely worthwhile to look into.

Hope this helps. :)
 
oops - sorry Tacori - my response above was for you not Maisie.
Don't know why I wrote her name there and for some weird reason PS won't let me edit it.
 
Tacori, I was a major teeth grinder. I was worried about having to wear a retainer once my braces came off AND a mouth guard on top of it. Ortho gave me a hawley retainer and everything seems to be fixed. It is made out of acrylic and takes some getting used to but it took me 3-4 days to tolerate and now it feels normal when I wear it at night. It prevents my back teeth from touching at all because when I bite down my 2 bottom front teeth hit the top of the acrylic part of the retainer. No damage to the bottom front teeth and I don't grind anymore. Maybe something to look into if the pain from the mouth guard doesn't subside soon.
 
diva, thanks for asking your husband. Maybe I should take a picture of the mouth guard and post it. My top teeth are not covered. I am biting down (HARD) on the bite plate (is that what it is called?) when I am sleeping. I am worried about the pain and stress it may be causing.

PJ, my back teeth also do not touch. Wish I remembered what they called the type of guard I got. That is AWESOME you don't grind anymore! I should go to your dentist.
 
You are welcome Tacori. :) My husband was asking about you after he came home from work.

Sounds like you need a splint for the top teeth. When is your dentist back?

It might be worthwhile seeing a specialist. Orthodontists and prothodontists are specialists.
Go see a prothodontist - they are more costly but they should be worth it - if they are good at their job.
 
My husband and I both wear full arch, hard acrylic night guards, every night. I have worn mine for over 10 yrs and I can't sleep without it. I have also worked in a dental office for 13 years and I have seen the serious damage that people can do to their own teeth, little by little, every night. People spend thousands of dollars on dentistry that could totally have been prevented if they just would have worn a guard.

Our office only places the full arch guards because they seem to work the best for the majority of people. I have no experience with the device you are describing, but I can see how you would be concerned about your front teeth.

I would really recommend that you call your dental office and ask them. They are going to have the most experience with your device and they will know why they recommend it for you over all the other types of guards that are available. You are paying them for a service which includes educating you about dentistry. Just because you've taken the device home doesn't mean that their job is over. Please call them, the questions you are asking are important.
 
Diva, that is so funny! I will call them on Monday.

Seattle, I am calling my dentist but wouldn't you know it they were on vacation last week! I stopped wearing it just in case I was doing MORE damage with it.
 
UPDATE: Went to the dentist today. She confirmed that I should have NO pain so she thinks since I am a clencher I might do better with a top mouth guard. She did grind down the bite plate (or whatever it is called) to see if that would help. I am in the middle of a break-up with her (lots of guilt over it) so she just wants me to be happy. For $500 I am making sure that the guard is perfect. I will let you all know if the top one works out better. She is putting a rush on the order so I should have it in a week or so.
 
I am a clencher, not a grinder. My guard covers about 2/3 of my top teeth. It is very hard on the outside but gets soft on the inside when you run warm water on it right before insertion.

Good luck!
 
Tacori--have you looked into what is causing the grinding? I used to clench at night when i was really stressed and anxious in university. I did this for a few years, but once i got the stress managed i noticed the clenching went away too.
Now, once in a while, i'll wake with a sore jaw and neck muscles and realize i was clenching or grinding at night. it always corresponds to going thru a stressful period.
i know you are in school so you probably have more stress than usual, do you notice more grinding or a sore jaw in the morning??
not sure if yours is stress related, but worth looking into maybe
 
IWPO, I know you love your guard! The material sounds cool. Wonder what mine will be like.

Jas12, I have been a grinder since I was in elementary school. I am a feeling stuffer so it could have been stress even as a child but hard to know. Now, I think it is stress related as well as a natural habit. I certainly have a crazy life. That is awesome you have learned to control it. I am sure it makes your DH happy as well!
 
I have TMJ from clenching. I try to let my jaw hang loose with mine in as I fall asleep. I can only fall asleep on my back with jaw slack when I have it in. I only wear it when I'm having clenching problems due to stress like when my fiance was in Iraq. Sometimes I feel like the guard improves it and sometimes I feel like it makes it worse. My suggestion is to find ways to reduce the stress in your life. =)

ETA- I also had lots of adjustments done to mine to make sure it was comfortable. The first time the dentist got it back from the lab we tried it and he said they hadn't put enough slope on it to push my jaw forward so he sent it back. Once that was fixed he did a lot of grinding it down until it felt right and he thought it was sloped enough.
 
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