Grinding Teeth?

[mister d]

Anyone here get told they grind their teeth at night and start to use a mouth guard or night guard or whatever its called? Did you actually get it through your dentist or just go to Target or somewhere?

[govmentchedda]

Just had this suggested to me at the dentist last week. Haven't acted on it yet.

[mister d]

OMG we're the same person.

[DSafetyGuy]

One of the hygienists of a previous dentist tried to get me to get a mouthguard even though I had never been told I needed one previously, including by the dentist at the practice. She was playing up the "insurance will pay for it" angle.

In other words, was this the dentist citing it as a legitimate need or was it more of a sales pitch?

(I have since had another hygienist at another dentist's office try to pitch me on a product I had never previously been told I needed by an actual dentist, including by that dentist, so whether it's a legitimate need or not is something I always wonder about.)

[mister d]

Same on the insurance part, but I was in there for a cracked tooth that I didn't hurt eating and was shown the difference between the top fillings versus side fillings and told (by the dentist) the shinier look means I'm likely grinding.

[rass]

Is it the President? I bet it's the President.

[GoodKarma]

Both the wife and I have one. I can tell you she grinds her teeth b/c I hear it...sounds a little bit like snoring. For me I have occasional sensitivity to cold and my teeth/jaw felt a little sore some mornings; those were my only indicators that something might be going on. It took me a while to get used to wearing. It made me drool a ton the first handful of wears before I got used to it. I don't wear it every night because it still kind of annoys me.

That being said I'm not convinced it's not just a sales pitch. I guess my teeth feel a little better when I do wear it but I find it odd that I went 30+ years without anyone saying anything until my last two dentists. Although my current dentist is also a personal friend so I hope he would not just sell me on one for $$$.

I would also check on or question the insurance piece. Mine only covered a small portion, if any.

[HaulCitgo]

Kid does this pretty bad. Not sure if his is particularly bad or if its that baby teeth are softer but there are very apparent holes in his teeth where he grinds. Looks like droplets of water eroding stone over 1000 years. Id think you would be able to see whether its a legitimate issue in the mirror.

[govmentchedda]

My dentist showed me the slight color difference where I'd worn through the enamel, and mentioned that the layer under enamel is softer. No hard sell to get a specially made one there at the office.

[sancarlos]

I used to grind my teeth back in the old days, and the dentist fitted me with a night guard. I don't grind my teeth anymore, but at his urging, I still wear it every night. Get it from the dentist.

[Shirley]

My dentist always tells me that, but I don't notice it when I sleep or get headaches from it. Long ago, I got a mouth guard for sleeping, but I hated wearing it and at some point, I stopped wearing it.

[The Sybian]

I used to wear one maybe 10 years ago. Kind of forgot about it, don't know where it is. I was grinding my teeth at night, and my dentist told me I was wearing down my teeth. My wife could hear it at times. I also have severe TMJ, and my jaw constantly pops. I can even make different musical notes with it to freak out my kids. My dentist flinches every time I open my mouth, but he said if it isn't causing pain, not to worry about it. The guard probably helped with grinding, but it didn't help the TMJ. It was annoying at first, but I got used to it quickly.

[Brontoburglar]

this is weird because I dozed off last night for a few minutes and as soon as I woke up the gf asked if I was a teeth grinder because I was apparently doing it -- I hadn't thought about if I do or don't do it in years

[sancarlos]

I get concerned about you guys and your grinding teeth, because grinding teeth led to a huge mouth issue for me.

20 years ago, I was grinding so bad that I was breaking my teeth and fillings and having to have root canals and crowns installed. I have soft enamel which compounded the problem. The dentist was worried that I was on my way to doing that to all my teeth! Luckily, my dentist is also a personal friend, and he proposed a unique solution. He was studying a new technique where they put plastic inserts on top of your teeth to change your bite, with the idea that it would stop the grinding. Then, after that, because of all the grinding that had compromised the teeth, we would replace ALL my teeth with caps. The good news is that, by working on me, he was getting certified in the new technique that would open up a new market for him. So, he suggested that we do it on weekends over the course of most of a year - and that he would only charge me up to the dollar amount that would be covered by insurance.

So, that's what we did! The changed bite did mostly stop me from grinding, he capped all my teeth, and I did start sleeping with a bite guard. The procedure has been a 99% success. I have chipped a couple caps and did have to have one more root canal, but all in all I'm thrilled and I thank the doc every time I see him.

[mister d]

My mouth is so fucking numb right now.

[mister d]

My mouth really fucking aches right now.

[sancarlos]

So, go to a dentist!

[mister d]

I did. I got two teeth filled, one I think they dug out an old filling first. Unfun.

[sancarlos]

I did. I got two teeth filled, one I think they dug out an old filling first. Unfun.

And, you asked him to fit you for a bite guard for your grinding, right?

[A_B]

I hope they didn’t use that white composite shit in your fillings. I had some old ones replaced a few years back and my teeth felt worse and more sensitive for about three years. Go ahead and switch to sensodyne if they did you dirty.

[mister d]

I'm going back. I couldn't feel my mouth and want to have some control over the process.

[A_B]

[mister d]

I really hope there's better backup in the article than "because they weren't used a generation ago".

[sancarlos]

I really hope there's better backup in the article than "because they weren't used a generation ago".

No kidding! What a lame reason. The efficacy of a mouthguard is pretty clear.

[A_B]

I really hope there's better backup in the article than "because they weren't used a generation ago".

Dude. The evidence is actually overwhelming. There is a lot of rock solid evidence here that you are not familiar with The New Yorker's Shouts & Murmurs.

[mister d]

You two should battle for my soul.

[sancarlos]

Well, I finally read the article and I see that it is satire. Not that you would understand that from the tweet!

(And our musical tastes are too dissimilar for me to ever battle for Mr. D's soul.)

[mister d]

This thing is going to ruin my love of sleeping. Feels all suctiony and uncomfortable on my front teeth and I can’t swallow normal or anything.

[sancarlos]

This thing is going to ruin my love of sleeping. Feels all suctiony and uncomfortable on my front teeth and I can’t swallow normal or anything.

You’ll get used to it.

[rass]

This Woman’s Mouth Keeps Growing Hairs

Are there photos? Yeah, there are photos.

[Giff]

I didn't want 98% of my lunch anyway.

[Johnnie]

Got a Harry's Razors ad on the webpage.