Grinding teeth

[HeyKay1991]

even before I got braces, I was always a teeth grinder at night. However, now it's gotten worse because my bite is way different. Has anyone else experienced this too with braces? Was there anything that you or your ortho could do to stop from doing this? Two days ago, I mentioned it to mine and all they did was put buildups on my molars so I grind on them instead of my teeth but one of them already came off. Any other solutions that I can ask my ortho about? I'm going Monday to have the buildup replaced.

[mmkay]

I asked my orthodontist about this before commencing treatment. I specifically asked him about shoving goop on teeth - which I had read about elsewhere - and he said it wasn't a good idea (without saying why). He mentioned the possibility of a guard but it sounded like a bit of a fob-off. Obviously a guard would have to be very loose fitting.

Hopefully I am not doing too much extra damage to my already dreadful teeth :\

[Nozzelnut]

The inexpensive boil and bite mouth guards might work for you. Cheap enough so you could replace them monthly when your teeth move.

[TMJJill]

There is not one easy answer. I was a bruxer before braces and wore a splint for years. In the year before braces, I had a new splint that put my bite in better position when I slept and completely prevented me from clenching/grinding. I cried when I had to give that up for the braces. I not only had major issues with the clenching/grinding when my bite was changing in braces, I also ended up chomping down on my tongue so hard that I regularly woke myself up. I was sleeping horribly for a while. Here are some of the strategies my dentist worked with me on while I was in the braces.

I took a multi-prong approach to address the 'parafunctional habit' of bruxism that I had. I wore some nighttime elastic configurations to hold my jaw in a better position throughout my entire treatment. The class II configuration I wore the entire time, others I wore as needed as my bite shifted. It helped with the grinding some and when done carefully, didn't change my bite/teeth in ways I didn't want. Also, when my bite was at its worst in terms of adjusting with the braces and I had a prescription from my ENT for a low-dose muscle relaxer that I took before bed to help my muscles not spasm so much which triggers grinding. I also went to a PT and had some regular manual therapy done on my neck and jaw to help address the muscles that tighten when the bite is out of whack. She also did some oral trigger point work on my masseter and pterygoids. They are incredibly painful, but helped incredibly. In addition to those, I had some ultrasound treatments at the dental office and he gave me some blended essential oils to rub in and help calm things as well. I also had times I used Deep Blue lotion on my jaw area to help relax the area. In addition to those, I was also provided with a CD by Denise Lynch that was targeted at relaxing the TMJ muscles. It was designed to help you relax, but by listening to it when I fell asleep, I got some of the content into my subconscious. After using it regularly for a while I noticed a difference.

I can't say these kept me from bruxing at all, but it did make a significant improvement in my problems. I'm happy to say that I'm in retainers now and not bruxing like I had for over 20 years. I have a custom night retainer that is designed to prevent developing this problem back. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[nellarmonia]

I was grinder before braces and when I got braces and elastics it got 10x worse. Before braces I used those boil guards, but they hinder teeth movement. I found these and they work GREAT! It says 3 day use, but I use them for about 2-3 weeks brushing them every night when I brush my teeth before bed.

http://www.amazon.com/Plackers-Mouth-Gu ... 003GDKH9C/