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Jaw clenching / Bruxism
WordLust
Fort Wayne, INRegistered User regular
Fort Wayne, INRegistered User regular
Hello fronds,
An issue I have always had is a kind of bruxism. Whenever I try to tell people about it, they assume that I mean that I grind my teeth, but I don't actually grind my teeth at all and have never done so even once.
My issue is that I unconsciously clench my jaw extremely tightly. I do it in my sleep (just clenching, no grinding), but I also do it during the day. We're talking clenching my teeth together like I am biting something almost as hard as I can. Every ten or fifteen minutes, I'll suddenly become conscious that I'm doing it and can then consciously relax my jaw, but as soon as I stop thinking about it, it clenches tightly closed again. (This can cause headaches and is bad for the teeth.)
I recently started taking meds for mild anxiety, and I wondered if that would have an effect on the clenching, but it doesn't seem to have affected it at all.
Does anyone else have this issue, and what have you done to deal with it? It usually helps if I suck on hard candy or chew gum, but I can't do that every moment of my existence.
An issue I have always had is a kind of bruxism. Whenever I try to tell people about it, they assume that I mean that I grind my teeth, but I don't actually grind my teeth at all and have never done so even once.
My issue is that I unconsciously clench my jaw extremely tightly. I do it in my sleep (just clenching, no grinding), but I also do it during the day. We're talking clenching my teeth together like I am biting something almost as hard as I can. Every ten or fifteen minutes, I'll suddenly become conscious that I'm doing it and can then consciously relax my jaw, but as soon as I stop thinking about it, it clenches tightly closed again. (This can cause headaches and is bad for the teeth.)
I recently started taking meds for mild anxiety, and I wondered if that would have an effect on the clenching, but it doesn't seem to have affected it at all.
Does anyone else have this issue, and what have you done to deal with it? It usually helps if I suck on hard candy or chew gum, but I can't do that every moment of my existence.
WordLust on
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http://www.docshop.com/education/dermatology/injectables/botox/jaw-tension
I would definitely talk to your dentist if you haven't. They can often diagnose muscle and jaw issues. Not always, but it's worth a check.
as for while i'm awake, i've sort of trained myself over time to keep my tongue in between my teeth when i'm not talking or eating or whatever. it sort of keeps me mindful of it and relaxes my jaw a bit
it doesn't always work, i still forget to a lot, but it seems to have cut down on the number of times in a day where i just notice my jaw is clamped shut
cutting down on caffeine and stuff and getting better sleep tends to help me as well
wherever I habitate, you are sure to find a couple of bags of floss picks laying around.
at night, a mouthguard is nigh mandatory for me. i can barely sleep without it. i had one custom made for about 800ish I think
My jaw has also 'clicked' for years, but I only recently found out that was a symptom of clenching my mouth.
Dentist recommended an upper night guard. Rather than get the expensive dental office one, I found one on amazon that sends you a kit to make a mold of your teeth you send back to them, and then they send you the guard. I think $100 total. Little tight the first few days, fits great now.
I won't know for sure how well it's working till my next dentist visit though, only been using for a month or two.
And now I can add something else to my list of symptoms I have but had no idea were related to clenching. Maybe soon I will be able to enjoy terrible wine.
I got one for my TMJ, it helped break my clenching habit during the day