[Sinenox]

So I'm a Senior in college, working on graduating, social life, academics, gluten free diet, etc. You know, the ush. But starting at the beginning of this year I began to grit and gnash my teeth in my sleep. As it got worse my dentist gave me a little device to wear but it still happens even when I'm awake to some smaller degree. Probably stress-related, I'll admit. I'm under a lot of pressure with all of my obligations and I haven't been able to upkeep the diet as well as I should, which leaves me sick a lot. But I don't always have nightmares associated with the waking up avec jaw ache. What I'm wondering is, does anyone have any idea how to stop it? Do I just need to de-stress? I have tried so hard with the diet that I'm kind of at a loss. I wish there was a kit I could send away for and some interesting journal type thing with sticker stars I could give myself for good behavior. This is getting ridiculous but what I mean is that I've never seen (and can't see) a dietician, this forum is literally my only form of support and I'm tired of bothering people and trying to look up every single minute question I have. So, without being able to really eliminate the stress, is there something I can do about the teeth grinding? I'd appreciate any help.

[NicoleAJ]

I don't grind my teeth, but I do clench them because the dentist said that I have swollen ligaments around my teeth from doing it. Clenching teeth is actually a trigger for my trigeminal neuralgia, which is an extremely painful disorder involving the main nerve that serves your face. I'd love to hear if someone else has a response because I'm not sure what to do about it either. If you hear anything, please let me know.

[alissa]

I don't have an answer to your problem.... but I have been grinding my teeth since high school and have been sleeping with the mouth guard since. I can feel myself grinding my teeth awake or asleep. It trys me crazy. I hate the mouth guard! Some nights I grind my teeth so bad in my sleep I wake up with blood on my teeth not to add the tooth aches and headaches associated from this problem. It sucks!

[mcsteffi]

I dont know about the teeth but as for the diet this fourm is all you need. I was sent to a dietician and she was worthless. She told me the same stuff I had found on this website/fourm. I wanted an actual grocery list...lol.. I found a good health food store in my area that has alot of gluten free stuff and copied some grocery lists off of this fourm and went to shopping!
The teeth thing probably is stress. My husband grinds his in his sleep. But I dont know.

stef.

[sspitzer5]

One doc told me that teeth grinding is associated with food allergies. I don't know if that's true or not, but it certainly could be in my case.

S

[kbtoyssni]

Not sure what you can do about the teeth grinding, but I think you need to work on being diligent with the diet. Being sick will only add to your stress. The teeth grinding may go away if you are more strictly gluten-free.

[darlindeb25]

I do not grind my teeth either, yet I do clench them in my sleep and sometimes they will hurt for days from doing that. I know it is stress related.

[gerberer]

Bruxism is what it is called.

There is only really three treatments for this, a Dental device, Stress Management, and perhaps Bio feedback therapy.

Some anti depressants cause Bruxism, there may be an element of gastro oesophageal reflux involved, and some misalignments of the teeth may also impact on this.

Its a Sleep Disorder which is hard to treat.

Most of the over counter dental devices are inadequate, and you need to have a special one made.

I would also look at googling Biofeedback therapy in your area.

Good Luck !!!

[Teacher1958]

I was having what I thought were terrible sinus headaches. However, I did not have a sinus infection, and further investigation via x-rays of my sinuses were negative. My family doc sent me to my dentist, and he fitted me with a mouthguard for only $75.00, plus the cost of the visit. It fits all the way around my bottom teeth. If I don't wear the device every night, I have the headache the next day.

For people on a limited income, I wonder if one of the mouthguards used by football players would help. One of my students, a hockey player, described how he had to heat the soft plastic to mold his mouth guard. Just a thought- I have no idea how it would work. I assume you would get this product at a sporting goods store.

[MJS]

I wasn't aware that I grind my teeth until I started getting terrible jaw pain. My dentist referred me to a facial pain center and I saw a doctor there. He told me that my grinding occurs when my body shifts from light to deep sleep, not because of stress.

After trying every medicine possible, we decided to get a device. It wasn't cheap, $1200 (including follow-up visits). But my insurance paid 90% of it so it turned out okay.

Then it only got a little better so we started physical therapy -sending heat waves into my jaw muscles with this weird machine. That helped a little

So I guess those are some of the treatments you can expect if you visit a doctor. However, I wasn't healed completely, but the pain did improve.

[sixtytwo]

Many years ago I thought I had a really bad tooth because I had so much pain, but the dentist said it was TMJ which is short for temporal mandibular joint disfunction, which I had never heard of, but is bandied about quite frequently now. It is the grinding or (in my case) clenching of teeth, mostly in the sleep, and it causes extreme pain in the jaw and can cause migraine headaches. At the time, thank HEAVEN, I had really good insurance and I saw a dental specialist who fitted me with a mouth guard (splint) and I wore it all the time until the condition was better and then just at night for years. Now I don't wear it at all. There were times when it would flare up and I would go back to the splint for a time just until the stressful time would pass. I know that now you can get the guards for less, but I wonder if they are as good if they are not fitted properly. They have to bring your jaw in-line and take the pressure off the mandibular joint to do any good, not just stop the grinding/clenching.

Barbara

[diapason05]

This may sound completely retardedbut it WORKED FOR ME!
I had TMJ a few years back (clenching my jaw very tightly, especcially while I was asleep,and most likely grinding my teeth)- I got to the point where I couldnt even open my mouth. I literally couldn't open it. I guess my muscles were tense/swollen in my jaw.. I'm not even sure but the doctor diagnosed it TMJ.

My doctor measured me for a mouth guard because it was supposed to help me while I slept, but I ended up never needing it.

All I did was this:

Every single night before I went to bed, I would very consciously tell myself to relax, I would imagine my jaw muscles relaxing and not being tense.. I concentrated really hard on it. I also would stop myself regularly during the day and if I thoughT I was tense, I would have to stop and try to relax myself. Well, it worked. It took a few weeks to get rid of the awful pain, but it went away!


As for nutritionists. I was sent to one one time, because I was obsessing over food too much (I was always feeling foggy brained and sick and couldnt lose weight and this led to me obsessing and feeling like I had some mental disorder- but I feel validated now because I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which explains the foggy brainedness, depression AND the inability to lose weight.. and now I'm doing the gluten-free thing- losing weight and thinking clearly!)
Anyway, the nutritionist was a complete fool. She literally sent me away because she was frustrated that I knew more than she did.
Go ahead and send a die-hard food-obsessing person to a nutritionist. I gurantee you that nutritionist will know less that the very educated food-obsessor. At least, in my case it was true.

Everything you need to know can be found online. You should always cross-reference the stuff you find on a forum and website with other reputable sites, though, as sometimes people are misinformed. Once you get the hang of doing the research it'll be so easy for you.. and, over time, you will automatically know what you can and cannot eat,

[GFAngel]

Okay, so get this. I move to a smaller town outside DC and get asked to be a receptionist at my DD's new orthodontist's office. I just moved, I'm stressed, but we're outside DC and it's expensive, so I take a leap of faith and leave boxes unpacked and go for it. I work there for a year - and I'm so stressed. I complain of aches and pains and hair loss. I have headaches, 'm depressed & have anxiety that makes me want a rubber room. I can't remember anything as simple as what I ate for lunch, let alone a new appt. program- yet I'm a happy person who everyone loves to be around - and crash at night ... and can't sleep of course. I've been clenching my teeth. I've learned this to be bruxism. TMJ involves more gnashing and scraping. Both are not healthy. So before I move again, I ask him to look at me (embarrassed cause I have a mouthful of fillings and it looks like I never brushed or something). Doc is VERY cool, and insists he make me a night guard for free! (See, he loved me!) I asked him about over-the-counter football ones - and of course he says they're not helping the jawbone - just the teeth. It's important to protect the jaw alignment. Your jaw continually changes as you age. More on that later. It helps my headaches. I feel proactive and I'm grateful.

Now we're moving again and I'm still so tired. My thyroid's off, but after upped dose of Synthroid, I'm still tired and tell new doc. He does full iron panel and serum ferritin is so low he forwards me to GI doc for colonscopy to check for internal bleeding/cancer. I google anemia and I ask the GI for an endoscopy not knowing I'm getting my celiac dx, right? I'm still wearing my guard at night btw. Six months into the gluten-free diet, so much has changed regarding my health I can't believe it - one thing that changed was sleeping through the night again; and I can't remember the last time in 18 yrs or before pregnancy. This is, I believe, a result of Vit D Rx (50,000iu 1x/day for 8 days and 1x/month for yr) and getting sunshine. My other labs weren't as responsive. Prior to my diagnosis, I sometimes felt aching in my teeth - esp, and this may sound strange, if my nasal passages were clear and I'd breath in cold air. It radiated. I asked my dentist about it and he didn't know what to make of it. I had/have sensitive teeth. I've cracked them on hard candy. Why wouldn't a dentist tell a patient to get their calcium or Vit D checked if this happened repeatedly? It seems so obvious now.

Anyway, my need for the nightguard vanished. I don't clench anymore since on 100% strict gluten-free diet. And when I put my nightguard in after not wearing it for a long time, I can totally tell my jaw alignment HAS changed (on a side note: my DH's front teeth are spreading apart as he ages!). So I really should wear it anyway! (Ortho would kill me if he knew!) Ask an orthodontist for a free consult and see what he/she has to say; do comparison shopping. Ask for payment plans; I believe it's worth it.

[Miriam3]

Unwanted muscle clenching can come from Magnesium deficiency! I have terrible deficiency of magnesium. I didn't know that for years and by the time I was in my teens I had ground my lower molars wayyyyyy down. I don't remember doing it, but I must have ground my teeth in my sleep starting in childhood. The magnesium problem also caused me migraines. Magnesium helps you relax muscles once you've clenched them. If you don't have enough, you can have a lot of problems with cramps, etc. too.

I take about 500 mg a day (you can take half that and see results though). I think good old Magnesium Oxide works the best-- cheap and easy to find. GNC's brand is gluten free (but so are most others). I've heard you absorb Magnesium citrate better, but it's expensive, you have to take tons of pills, and I've never seen great results.

Give it a try for a couple of weeks, and let me know if you wake up with your jaw feeling better!

[Sweetfudge]

 Teacher1958, on May 4 2007, 05:40 PM, said:

For people on a limited income, I wonder if one of the mouthguards used by football players would help. One of my students, a hockey player, described how he had to heat the soft plastic to mold his mouth guard. Just a thought- I have no idea how it would work. I assume you would get this product at a sporting goods store.

I work at a dental office and I know one of our doctors has recommended these to patients who don't have the money for a fitted guard. It's better than having nothing and grinding your teeth away.
I grind so badly! Day and night. I have worn through 2 night guards so far, and I have terrible jaw/head aches from it, even when I do use the night guard. It sucks! One of the doctors I work for suggested muscle relaxers, but dentists won't prescribe it. It doesn't make the problem go away either...I just deal w/ it and *try* not to stress.