do you grind your teeth/clench your jaw while you sleep?
 

Every morning I wake up in pain from clenching my jaw while I sleep. I think it's the area in my body where I keep all of my stress.

I've been doing some research and read that it could be as high as 1 in 4 adults who have this problem at some point in their lives.

I was just wondering if anyone of you had the same problem and what you've done about it?

Yes I wake my other half up at night by grinding my teeth. What they recommend is going to the dentist and getting fitted for a mouth piece. You wear it to bed and it keeps you from grinding your teeth while you sleep:)

I have arthritis in my jaw joints so there is some muscle damage to my face and back of head. I can tell there is a bit of clenching there but I am lucky that I don't grind.

If you get a night guard to wear, it will help you out alot..

:)

Probably explains any headaches you have.

Time for a plastic retainer.

i too would wake up on occasion with my jaw hurting like hell and my fists would actually be clenched..
the night guard thing work a lot i have heard
and you could look into TMJ maybe? :)

or smoke some pot before going to bed :winkwink:

good luck either way
its no good for your teef

Wear a mouth guard.
I know people who have actually broken teeth doing that. Ask any dentist... and they will tell you, it's a serious problem.
Any Sports mouth guard will do ($4.95)... though there are more expensive ones that are especially for sleeping that will do the exact same thing for around $40.00.
I reccommend going to the dentist and getting some advice from a professional.
Also, seek ways to de-stress before going to bed. I find that having too much unfinished business gets be stressed, so I make a list at night.... that way I dont have to worry about forgetting and that has helped me.
Good luck!

My dentist suggested a mouth guard... but it cost $700. Ugh.

It would be worth it if it would help me to stop but so far most people say that doesn't cure you, it just helps protect your teeth... which is important, but I'd rather just cure what causes the clenching/grinding in the first place.

Lots of sex with the girlfriend works for me :thumbsup

its for sure stress
even if you dont feel stressed out, like you wanna scream all the time, stress has so many forms.
and maybe you should see a different dentist, cause they dont have to be that freakin expensive (the mouth guards)

is she available? :winkwink:

It's stress. Whenever I'm stressed, I wake up in the mornings feeling like I've been beaten up. (sometimes I suspect my gf of punching me in the mouth when I grind my teeth)
The really nasty thing about it is that bits of my teeth started to break off as well. It's much better lately though, reading GFY and having a good laugh at theking before going to bed is very therapeutic :)

If you don't want to pay the 700, look into the mouth guards that football players where.

The $700 mouth guard is worth it if you are going to a dentist that specializes in tmj disorders and they make the guard to position your bite and jaw. :)

Yep... I do and it drives me nuts... It has also taken some toll on my teeth over the years. I am actually seeing my doctor about it later this week.

I used to grind my teeth in my sleep but not sure if I do it anymore.

but smoking pot helps me sleep pretty darn good hehe

yes, and i now suffer from a severe case of TMJ because of it. been grinding my teeth since I was a child :(

People who usually grind their teeth grind them continuously during the day as well.

Try just letting your jaw be loose (keep your mouth shut...) and keep it that way throughout the day. When you go to bed make sure your jaw is relaxed as well.

You can also try a mouthguard..

Cheers,
Matt

Never.

Hello you live in NYC... the most stressful place on Earth. Here is my day so far today.

1. Wake up.
2. Roll over to computer keyboard.
3. Post some shit on GFY.
4. 10am -- jerk off go back to sleep
5. 11am -- still not noon yet -- play some music go back to sleep
6. Lunch time! Ride my bike to the park to eat lunch.
7. Too hot to read my book so I go to the bar.
8. Bar is closed.
9. Watched nice classic mustang get booted and towed by cops.
10. Too bad about those wheels.
11. Rode bike home.
12. Lemonade!

Notice there is no shower or deodorant anywhere in that list.

I heard I do. But since I'm asleep it doesn't bother me :1orglaugh

My son does it too...

I haven't heard my daughter do it, but she makes up for that by talking in her sleep and sleeping with her eyes open.

I never did until I started dealing with amateur models.... ;)

For you sure, but only as long as i can take pictures :Graucho

I do the clenching thing in a weird way- I bite my cheeks and the inside of my lips- I guess I have an advanced version. When I wake up the insides of my mouth are pretty fucked. I can gauge my stress by how fucked.

Stuff that helps me:

If I meditate I don't do it.
If I'm sleeping next to someone I have deep trust and love going on with I don't do it (lately, forgetaboutit).
If do some yoga or get a massage I don't do it.

Biting your mouth -- that's a healthy sexual response... Just don't go overboard... Read the book "The Naked Ape"

Maybe get off the drugs...

"Many ravers chew on baby pacifiers or lollipops to offset the effects of involuntary teeth grinding caused by MDMA. Pacifiers are worn around the user's neck, often on plastic beaded necklaces. "

<img src="http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs/656/images/pacifier.jpg">

Football mouth gaurd costs 3$

You boil it in water and the plastic automatically forms to your teeth.

maybe its your way of keeping Ric away from you at night.
you sound kinda frigid to me.
:Graucho

I've been doing the grinding thing and clenching thing for years, Nina...until it got so bad, I couldn't lower my right arm. Then, I went to a chiropractor (I'll never do THAT again) and he hurt me worse than when I started.

I needed to get my teeth cleaned.....when the dentist examined my teeth....first one to ever ask me this...he said he knew I was clenching and grinding my teeth because of how the surface of my teeth looked.....

He diagnosed me with TMJ - which is Tempormandibularjoint disorder.....and now I wear a nightguard.

Within a few weeks, the pain was gone and my arm was fully functional.

http://www.tmj.org/basics.asp

and when you wake up.

:)

thanks. :)

Do you still need to wear the guard or are you cured?

:1orglaugh

Everyone has tmj (temporomandibular joint ) . It is your jaw joint.

When you have a problem with your jaw it is called tmj disorder.

http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/1996/pat_note/tmj.htm

I don't grind my teeth when I sleep from stress.. but I get mad killer headaches when i stress. I don't know why, I;m getting headaches all the time.. it sucks ass.

Some insurances like Blue Shield will cover treatment of tmj disorder and pay for a splint since it is a medical condition in many cases.

I think that is the best site that I have seen online about this condition.
THanks for sharing it

I hate to say it, but I'll have to agree with you...

Why else do women have barbie doll boyfriends?

You don't have to grind your teeth to have a jaw problem which will cause headaches

ah i see..

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

I feel your pain man... we will be the first two guys in the biz with dentures for sure!

:ak47:

Nina...here's a link you may want to check out...http://content.health.msn.com/conten.../30/1728_70608

As for grinding teeth, my son does it while he sleeps, & both my daughter and myself do it when we are pissed and releasing stress. Sometimes I can almost feel my teeth crack. My husband calls us 'Crazy Tooth' when we are freakin' mad.

As for what causes it during sleep......don't know but my mother's (italian) book of old wives' remedies says that it's tapeworms....cure that and the grinding goes away....don't know if it works.

Yup... i have it too Nina... it's very common... often as a result of wearing braces as a kid. A mouthguard from your dentist to wear at night will help save your teeth.

How about $20? http://www.dentaldepot.com/store/pro...item=5&mitem=5

I have a custom mouth guard my dentist made for me. Thanks for reminding me Nina. Need to start using it again.

couple months back i had a recollection of myself clenching my teeth / jaw SO HARD that I was about to crush my teeth. I VIVIDLY remember the feeling.. my jaw kept tightening and I couldnt STOP it. It was horrible. I checked out WebMD and found nothing related to it. I tried to think back more and more on the times it happened, and I couldnt. I finally realized, it was a DREAM I had.

I went to a TMJ dentist a couple years ago and he gave me a little thing called a Nitus that slipped over my front two teeth so my teeth couldn't be clenched at night.

Cleared up the pain immediately.

Also, a cheap way... sleep on your back. During the day, make sure to let your jaw drop, don't pull your teeth together as much as possible.

take it from a 22 year old with a mouth full of problems...


If you grind your teeth, bite the bullet (no pun intended), and get he $700 mouth guar... and get it A.S.A.P.

Your dentail hygenie and well being is WAY too important to take risks on, and long-term dential problems are expensive, and most importantly, painful.

I just found this one in the store... I think I'm going to try it first and then if that doesn't work make the larger investment.

Yep, so true

I found out at your age that I had a jaw problem. It was an expensive medical and dental experience that I am still dealing with at almost 39. I also have one daughter who had braces twice so she won't get it and another daughter who will have to get obtain the braces in a month cause she is now having joint pain and popping of the jaw.


Anyone who grinds their teeth or has had headaches for no known should read the symptoms at the cool site that Raven listed http://tmj.org/symptoms.asp. Alot of insurances will cover treatment or part. You just have to go thru the process of having your doctor refer you to an ear nose and throat first who then refers you to the tmj dentist after making sure you dont have anything else going on.


The good news is alot of people just grind their teeth and have symptoms of pain that can be treated with the night guard.
Unfortunately, some of us have obtain injuries etc from the jaw joint being out of place ... THat's another nightmare.....

I've always grinded my teeth when I sleep...haven't doen anything about it though lol :)

I'm sleeping so it doesn't bother me LOL :winkwink: