Grinding teeth with retainer

[joedenhart]

Hi,
I'm due to get my braces off in the next couple of months and I was wondering about the following.

I use a sleepright night guard currently which does the trick but is slowly falling apart which I'd rather than anymore damage to my teeth!
I'm getting bonded retainers and then hawleys I believe but I was wondering whether I can ask for the hawleys to be adapted so that I don't need to use a night guard anymore?
Has anyone else done the same?

Thanks
Joe

[joedenhart]

Thanks for your reply,
I was actually thinking the ortho could give me something like a positioner or something scaled down or two hawley's connected somehow.
Just be nice to wear one thing and I don't mind how big really, I had twin blocks to adjust my bite when I was younger and they didn't bother me.

[Stich]

I also grind my teeth at night and when I started wearing a retainer (the Hawley kind) I mentioned it to my ortho and he built up the acrylic on the front of my top retainer so that I cannot bite completly down. It is pretty subtle, but it is working for me. I find that my lower front teeth grind on the built up acrylic part, but it is saving the wear of my teeth.

Becky

[purpleteeth]

I clench and grind, which has made my experience with braces and elastics a challege (I used to grind my elastics off when I wore the cross bite config).

I have been told I'll be getting splits for my TMJ when the braces come off. I am hoping they give me a night guard or that the splint will substitute. My clenching is much worse than my grinding, but it is the clenching that causes all of my pain.

[joedenhart]

I used to clench at night and wake up with a painful jaw but that seems to have cleared just back to the grinding.
I havent really heard of anyone having a modified hawley like Stich has, its a good idea so I'll have to mention it when I next go.