Stop teeth grinding

October 22, 2021 6:38 AM

I grind my teeth at night, badly enough that I've given myself cavities and put holes through properly dentist-fitted night guards. I continue to use the night guard, but I want to stop or at least minimize the severity of the grind.

I've been grinding my teeth for the past 5 years or so. Before I realized the severity of my bruxism, I had a cavity or two after never having one in my life. Since getting a night guard from the dentist, I haven't had any more cavities, but I've worn through night guards after wearing them every night. I continue to use my night guard religiously and have no problems wearing it, but I would like to not have to replace an expensive dental appliance every two years.

I don't grind my teeth during the day, only when I'm asleep, so this is an unconscious nighttime occurrence that I can't stop while I'm doing it. I have anxiety that's managed with medication and don't feel I need to increase my dose, with which my doctor agrees, and I don't feel super stressed during the day (except for, you know, regular living-through-a-pandemic stress), so it really seems to be that I'm just working out my stress on my teeth while asleep. I just had a dentist check-up this week and asked for any strategies to stop grinding, but all she said was "be less stressed" (which, sounds great, would love to, but see: anxiety).

If you have any strategies for reducing or eliminating grinding, I would love to hear, especially if you've managed to stop grinding your teeth completely!

posted by pised to Health & Fitness (18 answers total)

Consider working with a physical therapist who has training from the Postural Restoration Institute. This is something they address pretty directly. The idea is that your body is looking for stability somewhere, and one way to do that is by grinding your teeth (similar to holding your breath or arching your back). If you strengthen your core in some specific ways, you will get that stability there instead, and you won’t need to grind your teeth as much.
posted by danceswithlight at 6:49 AM on October 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

I had bruxism therapy that involved wearing a rigid acrylic mouthguard that was adjusted by my dentist every 2 weeks by him grinding away certain spots in the mouthguard to guide my jaw. I don't really understand how it worked, but it worked beautifully. The therapy took about 18 months and resulted in me having a slight overbite that I didn't before but I don't mind. I still wear the rigid mouthguard, and I still clench at night, but I no longer grind or wake up with jaw pain. It really changed my life. You're welcome to memail me if you want any more information.
posted by mezzanayne at 7:15 AM on October 22, 2021

Ask your dentist for different night guard options. I have an NTI guard. It would be impossible to chew through this one as there are no contact points on the back teeth at all. This style of night guard has made a world of difference in my quality of life. It's expensive but I've had mine now for idk probably a decade and it's still working like the day I got it.
posted by phunniemee at 7:16 AM on October 22, 2021 [6 favorites]

i have this issue as well but not to the same extent - my night guard has lasted years. i have underlying tmj issues and massage helps a lot. sometimes ill use one of those massage guns directly on the joint and surrounding area (but carefully). there are also massage therapists who specialize in this kind of thing. ive heard magnesium supplements can help though i can never really notice efficacy.

drinking too much, lack of sleep and dehydration all make it worse. sometimes pot can help me target the area for massage more effectively but other times makes it worse.

id love to hear from others with similar issues and solutions.
posted by AlbertCalavicci at 7:24 AM on October 22, 2021

Have you been assessed for sleep apnea? Tooth grinding at night can be a warning sign. Other signs include severe fatigue, snoring, difficulty waking up, dry mouth when waking, and depression — but not everyone has all of the symptoms.
posted by 100kb at 7:40 AM on October 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

I got botox in my masseter muscles. Problem solved. Its been life changing.
posted by ananci at 7:55 AM on October 22, 2021 [3 favorites]

ananci, would you be willing to expand on this experience? its something ive been considering for years.
posted by AlbertCalavicci at 8:47 AM on October 22, 2021 [2 favorites]

My partner has nighttime teeth-clenching issues from TMJ, and their doctor prescribed them a muscle-relaxant to take before bed. It prevents the teeth clenching and helps their body kick the habit for a few days or weeks each time.
posted by Pwoink at 9:43 AM on October 22, 2021

It makes a difference for me, subjectively, what kind of neck support I have in my pillow. I can't describe exactly what it is but as I'm settling in to sleep, I can feel if my teeth are wanting to push on each other and tap around or not, and there are things ranging from deep breaths and relaxation exercises to tilting back the angle of my head that all have an effect. This does make me think that the posture and PT people have a point, but it might also be something you can mess around with a little bit yourself and see if you notice a difference. Though you might need either another person or a sound recording to tell how much you're actually grinding your teeth.
posted by Lady Li at 9:57 AM on October 22, 2021

I'm a dentist and I also advocate for NTI devices where appropriate. Treatment comes after a thorough examination -- of your teeth, your restorations, your musculo-skeletal system and your joints (TMJ).
Pharmaco-therapy can work for acute episodes -- but should be avoided for chronic conditions.

Seek out a dentist who will do a thorough work-up and who uses different strategies for different problems. Don't let anecdotes on the internet sway you.
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:19 AM on October 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

I stopped grinding my teeth when I switched to a buckwheat hull pillow, which holds my head in place more firmly.
posted by Comet Bug at 11:13 AM on October 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

The NTI worked great for me for years, maybe a decade, reducing my incidence of clenching-induced migraines, until my sleeping self somehow worked out a way to hold my jaw crookedly so that I could clench on the NTI itself. That caused my bottom teeth to start moving significantly. I had to give it up. I would still very much recommend it for anyone who doesn't manage to do that.

I can't use other night guards because they make me gag, so as soon as I'm asleep and no longer subject to willpower, I spit them out. I have a night guard for my lower teeth now that I can almost tolerate. It doesn't really help with stopping clenching, though; only the NTI ever did that for me. Wearing a nightguard other than the NTI saves my teeth but does nothing to stop the migraines. Clenching causes a migraine, then the migraine causes worse clenching, and so on.

After the first nightguard I tried didn't work out, my old dentist back in the 1980s prescribed valium at bedtime to stop my clenching. I doubt anyone would prescribe valium for clenching now! Fortunately I am not prone to addiction, so the only thing wrong with that was that eventually it stopped lasting through the entire night, and was therefore useless.

At this point the only things that work for me are a low dose of the muscle relaxant Flexeril, or botox injections to stop clenching. The botox injections my dentist tried did nothing and cost a ton, but she referred me to a neurologist who has done wonderful things for my migraines, using botox (covered by insurance), physical therapy exercises, and the muscle relaxant. Good for my headaches and good for my teeth, as well.
posted by metonym at 11:18 AM on October 22, 2021

Sure! It's a very simple procedure. You clench your jaw so they can locate the muscle and they do a few small botox injections on each side. It takes less than 3 minutes, and only needs to be redone at 6 months. After that, yearly injections will maintain it just fine. It costs me about $200 or so. Just find an aesthetician who is familiar with the procedure, RealSelf is a good place for recommendations.

If you have good insurance I think you could get it covered, but you would have to get a referral to a specialist clinic.

No side effects other than your face/jaw looking a bit slimmer since the muscle will lose volume and tone. It doesn't affect eating or anything like that.
posted by ananci at 11:37 AM on October 22, 2021 [2 favorites]

I’m in the same boat. Historically, I chewed through every expensive mouth guard my dentist made in an unacceptably short amount of time.

Years ago I tried ordering directly from an online lab. I figured it would be the same product my dentist offered at a better price. Lo and behold, the guard I ordered was much, much more durable than my dentist’s, and it has lasted forever.

For what it’s worth, I used JS Dental Lab and ordered the hardest guard. They’ve been in business for years, and they’re legitimate.
posted by ReginaHart at 7:49 PM on October 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

I meant to add that this guard hasn’t eliminated or reduced my clenching any unfortunately, but at least it’s only my jaw that hurts and not my wallet too.
posted by ReginaHart at 7:51 PM on October 22, 2021

If you are open to biofeedback, I think that SleepGuard works well. It is a headband that you wear, and it makes a little beep when you clench. This condition you to not clench. I used it quite successfully, and I do not believe that I clench or grind at all anymore. That said, I still wear a guard just in case.
posted by mortaddams at 4:03 PM on October 25, 2021

Huh, my botox treatments last only three to four months. Maybe my situations's more extreme than ananci's.

My dentist tried to sell me on the botox by claiming it would improve my looks by making my face look slimmer, but I think that's nonsense. Maybe it does, a little bit, but it's not anything anyone would notice or care about. I'm getting the treatments done by my neurologist because of my migraines. The dentist charged me $600 for the first, ineffective treatment, without insurance coverage; the neurologist charges $1200 for a much better treatment, which my insurance does pay, though not without a lot of jumping through hoops because they're afraid someone might use it for cosmetic reasons.

I think the biofeedback system mortaddams mentions sounds promising.
posted by metonym at 4:29 PM on October 26, 2021

I have been grinding my teeth for many years. I have used a custom teeth night guard from my dentist which costs over $600.00. I did some research online and found Teeth Night Guard Lab that makes custom teeth night guards for only $100.00. I tried out their online service and the custom teeth guard I received was perfect and actually better than my dentist.
posted by Joey22 at 6:13 AM on November 9, 2021 [1 favorite]