EXTREMELY WEIRD QUESTION (at least i think so)

Message

#1 Post by **LITTLEMA** » Tue May 26, 2009 4:34 pm

OK.

So, I never believed it, but I used to grind my teeth in the middle of the night. Not severly enough for my dentist to notice. But enough for my mom to hear when I was younger, while I selpt.

But...

Since I've gotten braces, now I notice than when I wake up, I'm applying a lot of pressure to my teeth. LIke, I'm biting down really hard. And I've noticed this only since I got braces..

Has this happened to anyone else.. any thoughts apprecited as to why this might be happening is appreciated.

x0x0LITTLEMA

#2 Post by **BracedVeryLate** » Tue May 26, 2009 6:51 pm

Hi there,
not a weird question at all. if you do a search on 'teeth clenching' you will find more info.
After a year in braces, I am not clenching my teeth anymore, but for the first 6 months or so, I found that many times a day I was clenching my teeth together - pretty brutally! This seems somewhat normal - as long as you are not grinding them together, I wouldn't worry.

#3 Post by **blindboarder2008** » Tue May 26, 2009 8:24 pm

I to found that the first 6 months of me having braces i would wake up in the morning in terrible pain and then realized that it was because I was clenching. It has got considerbly better since the 6 month mark. A while a go at a dental apt my dentist did comment that i had a bit of wear on my teeth from possibly grinding but it wasn't ovearlly bad but he said if this continued he would set me up and fit me for a mouth gard at night time. It seems to have been better lately for me. I hardly wake up with a sore jaw now however i find my mouth is really really dry in the morning most times but once i have a good drink of water its better and back to feeling normal again:)

#4 Post by **bbsadmin** » Tue May 26, 2009 10:52 pm

I was never a "clencher" but when I first got braces I found myself doing it a lot. If you become aware that you're doing it, you can consciously try to stop. I suppose the pressure on the teeth must make you prone to want to "bite down" when you first get braces. I remember that I stopped doing it within a few months.

#5 Post by **jenny101101** » Wed May 27, 2009 3:38 am

Yes, I agree with what bbsadmin said. I was the same way for the first few months after being braced. I was always a grinder(in my sleep) and wasn't aware of it until my ortho pointed out how worn my teeth were becoming because of grinding/clenching. Now, though, I don't seem to clench anymore in my sleep.

Of course, I'm in elastics so my teeth are together all night anyway

.

#6 Post by **Susie000** » Wed May 27, 2009 3:12 pm

Funny you say that - I've noticed exactly the same thing!

I don't think I've ever done any clenching or grinding at night, but yes, since wearing braces, I wake up with with my jaw clenched and the area around my back teeth is sore.

I thought it might be because my braced teeth are tender, so even though I might have always gently clenched my teeth in the night, now it results in a bit of pain.

S

#7 Post by **Margie** » Thu May 28, 2009 7:13 am

I never used to clench/grind my teeth at night either but since I got my braces a week ago I have started waking up randomly throughout the night because my teeth were sore from clenching them.

I am hoping I stop doing that once my mouth gets used to the braces.

#8 Post by **hal2me** » Thu May 28, 2009 12:59 pm

Hi Littlema,

I do the same thing. I have had my braces for 2.5 months now. Every morning I wake up with my teeth clenched. It is a weird sensation, so it wakes me up in the morning. After reading the previous posts, I am sure it will stop in a few more months.

See, it is not a strange question. Many of us are doing it!

#9 Post by **trillium** » Thu May 28, 2009 1:09 pm

I wake up with my teeth clenched also.

#10 Post by **magster** » Thu May 28, 2009 2:08 pm

Well my problem is similar to Margie's - I never used to grind/clench my teeth but when I got braces there were a couple nights where I would wake up because I bit down so hard?

I have no idea why.. its happened a good 10 times in the last 2 months or however long I have been braced for already.

#11 Post by **LITTLEMA** » Fri May 29, 2009 4:02 pm

So, at least I know I'm not the only one. That's a good sign.

I don't know if i necessarily wake up with sore teeth.

I'll just wake up because of the dang alarm (ha) and notice I'm clenching. Which I never used to do.

I know I don't grind my teeth anymore, which is a good thing, but I don't think this clenching is any better..

Thanks for all the responses guys. I know i'm just a normal brace face. =]