Teeth grinding

So I am wondering how many of us grind? I never in my 30 yrs of life dd until about 1 yr ago. Strange. Maybe it was the pyoderma gangrenosa that did me in :) but really I wonder if anyone else does? Everyone says stress, funny b/c I try and monitor my stress, I do not feel stressed out, I exercise on a regualr basis.. I don't chew gum anymore, I wear a mouth guard from the pharmacy every single night.. What else can I do? My jaw is throbbing...

Post Edited By Moderator (Nanners) : 6/25/2009 7:45:46 AM (GMT-6)

i have bouts of it too, I have no idea why it comes and goes, but I also have pyoderma g.

Here is another wierd one. WHen I went on LDN, it stopped. I just realized that now.

Hi.. Thanks for the feedback! This seems to be a somewhat common problem. I just get sick of wearing the mouth guard at night.  I also feel my jaw getting tense/tight through the day, especially if I watch a suspenseful tv show or movie ..  I can confirm it is grinding b/c my husband has caught me several times!! I am going to go to a new dentist for my next cleaning and discuss it, to see if there is anything else I can do. I never really thought it was anything more than the grinding and my teeth show some damage of the marks from grinding also... so just wanted some feedback on anything anyone else has tried... Thanks!

I have noticed lately that I tend to clench my jaw alot. Not sure what it is from, but its something new I have noticed.

I totally do, and have for many years. Bruxism, very interesting....

I have bad receding gums (but NO gum disease), and the dentists say it's from grinding. Anyone else who's been grinding for a long time have this problem?

I'm a grinder too. Bigtime.

I'm a constant grinder at night, always have been. My husband will wake me up if it starts to wake him up (which tells ya how loud it must be!). Sometimes I have pain in my teeth, and it messes up my jaw. I tried wearing the gaurds from the store, but that didn't last long. Having something in my mouth when I slept wasn't fun! I may ask my dentist to see if we can have one made up for me, and see if that's better.

O.k.....deffinatley a grinder. Interesting subject.

My best friend became a hygentist. She had to do these classes for TMJ and she used me as a genuine pig. I've been a teeth grinder my whole life. My teeth fit together like a puzzle:) I think it's hereditary because my mom was a grinder but, deffinatley notice a difference when stressed. I do it during the day too....I catch myself. Anyway, I went through a different series of therapy for it. This is one of the exercises:

 1. Try to  think of wear  your grinding clenching the most. (Example: one of them for me was in the car driving from place to place ...picking kids off dropping them off to sports, appts, etc.) whew...

2. Then I  bought some bright colored stickers. I put them wherever I thought I did the most  grinding...like on the steering wheel, or on the microwave, getting dinner ready was stressful sometimes) ...I know I sound like a basket case..but it helped remind me not to grind/clench during these times...It really works! I think life is stressful and we all have too much on our plate. Just try to slow down and make some simple changes.

However, there are times I wear my bite splint in the days. There are also times I think when I'starting to flare my joints just go nuts! Jaw being one of them.  I have gotten lock-jaw from it though, so I was willing to try a few other options. I was a thumb sucker when I was little. I've always wondered if this had something to do with grinding? I'm not sure.

Good luck!