Metal Mouth Message Board

Hey guys, was wondering if anyone could recommend a mouth guard or similar with braces to stop teeth grinding? I think I've always done it but since I've had braces it has gotten much worse. I'm worried about grinding away all of my bottom teeth! Any suggestions/ tips? Thanks xx

im grinding too, iv noticed it now more than ever, since iv woken up with some of my teeth sore. iv even caused trauma on 1 of my bottom front incisors and made it loose. my ortho has put bite blocks on my back molers to help with some confert while my front teeth move, and i grind those off so fast like in a week and im back to hitting my front teeth.
my dentist told me that i am 100% grinding my teeth and he will talk to my ortho if he can make a mouth-guard. iv gotten no word yet on that though. right now i just try to sleep on my back witch has helped, also u can look up some techniques on you tube.
this is a good question id like to know what other people are doing, im not shore if u can put a mouth guard on since they will stop ur teeth from moving.

I think I have a good suggestion, buy those nose plugs that swimmers use and put them on when your sleeping. So that when your sleeping to breathe you have to breathe through your mouth and keep it open thus preventing grinding. Give it try doesn't hurt?

I've been using the Splintek SleepRite mouthguard for over a year. Easy to wear and comfortable. Hope it works for you.

cloudgtr wrote:im grinding too, iv noticed it now more than ever, since iv woken up with some of my teeth sore. iv even caused trauma on 1 of my bottom front incisors and made it loose. my ortho has put bite blocks on my back molers to help with some confert while my front teeth move, and i grind those off so fast like in a week and im back to hitting my front teeth.
my dentist told me that i am 100% grinding my teeth and he will talk to my ortho if he can make a mouth-guard. iv gotten no word yet on that though. right now i just try to sleep on my back witch has helped, also u can look up some techniques on you tube.
this is a good question id like to know what other people are doing, im not shore if u can put a mouth guard on since they will stop ur teeth from moving.

I actually like to place them on the back of the upper teeth. this way it acts as a 24/7 NTI http://www.nti-tss.com/ I have find this more effective in clenching/grinding control than any other 'mouthguard' or bu's on teh back teeth.

If you're grinding enough t wake up, you're grinding enough to do damage. Let your ortho know. A bite plate may prevent damage which is a better solution than trying to mask or ignore it.

Mike

drrick wrote:

cloudgtr wrote:im grinding too, iv noticed it now more than ever, since iv woken up with some of my teeth sore. iv even caused trauma on 1 of my bottom front incisors and made it loose. my ortho has put bite blocks on my back molers to help with some confert while my front teeth move, and i grind those off so fast like in a week and im back to hitting my front teeth.
my dentist told me that i am 100% grinding my teeth and he will talk to my ortho if he can make a mouth-guard. iv gotten no word yet on that though. right now i just try to sleep on my back witch has helped, also u can look up some techniques on you tube.
this is a good question id like to know what other people are doing, im not shore if u can put a mouth guard on since they will stop ur teeth from moving.

I actually like to place them on the back of the upper teeth. this way it acts as a 24/7 NTI http://www.nti-tss.com/ I have find this more effective in clenching/grinding control than any other 'mouthguard' or bu's on teh back teeth.

thats where he put them at, at the top upper 1st moller. it has helped. right know im just waiting till my front upper left incisor moves in line with with the rest of the teeth, then he'll take them off. im still going to be grinding thowe i think. iv done it for a long time, just never had problems, iv never woken up sore, my jaw is never sore, and my teeth never hurt till i got braces and they started moving my teeth.

I actually did grind my teeth pre-braces but when I got them on I stopped grinding... just wondering why is that some people worsens and other stop grinding?

Grinding is a reaction of your body to a bad bite. Your teeth are trying to find where they "belong." The process of moving teeth to a correct bite moves them from where the teeth were and your jaw muscles are used to them being located, to a better position. In that process, your bite often gets much worse and your grinding increases until they settle into their new position.

Mike

cloudgtr wrote:

drrick wrote:

cloudgtr wrote:im grinding too, iv noticed it now more than ever, since iv woken up with some of my teeth sore. iv even caused trauma on 1 of my bottom front incisors and made it loose. my ortho has put bite blocks on my back molers to help with some confert while my front teeth move, and i grind those off so fast like in a week and im back to hitting my front teeth.
my dentist told me that i am 100% grinding my teeth and he will talk to my ortho if he can make a mouth-guard. iv gotten no word yet on that though. right now i just try to sleep on my back witch has helped, also u can look up some techniques on you tube.
this is a good question id like to know what other people are doing, im not shore if u can put a mouth guard on since they will stop ur teeth from moving.

I actually like to place them on the back of the upper teeth. this way it acts as a 24/7 NTI http://www.nti-tss.com/ I have find this more effective in clenching/grinding control than any other 'mouthguard' or bu's on teh back teeth.

thats where he put them at, at the top upper 1st moller. it has helped. right know im just waiting till my front upper left incisor moves in line with with the rest of the teeth, then he'll take them off. im still going to be grinding thowe i think. iv done it for a long time, just never had problems, iv never woken up sore, my jaw is never sore, and my teeth never hurt till i got braces and they started moving my teeth.

I am sorry if I wasnt clear I like them on the back of the upper FRONT teeth. Not the molars.

Many people do clench/grind befor braces but do not notice it until they get teh braces (when the teeth are more sore and you are more aware of what is going on in the mouth)

iBorg wrote:Grinding is a reaction of your body to a bad bite. Your teeth are trying to find where they "belong." The process of moving teeth to a correct bite moves them from where the teeth were and your jaw muscles are used to them being located, to a better position. In that process, your bite often gets much worse and your grinding increases until they settle into their new position.

Mike

That isnt really true.

Some people have horrible occlusions and do not gringd and others have perfect occlusions and grind. Much of the coause of clenching is believed to come from the central nervouse system

In children it is often also a result of poor airway. We oftern sned kids to the ent to eval their tonsils and adenoids for airway blockage as this can also effect facial growth.

I'll cite my sources:
http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/ ... ng-bruxism

Although teeth grinding can be caused by stress and anxiety, it often occurs during sleep and is more likely caused by an abnormal bite or missing or crooked teeth(emphasis added).

also:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bruxis ... ION=causes

# Abnormal alignment of upper and lower teeth (malocclusion)

And finally:
http://www.dentalhealthsite.com/bruxism/
[/quote]Bruxism can have various causes. It can be caused due to stress but also might be a natural response due to misalignment of teeth. Bruxism can also be a sign of some of the rare neuromuscular diseases that involves the face.

While many people do grind due to stress, the published data also indicates that misalignment of the teeth is also a significant cause. No one factor can be blamed for all grinding nor can any one factor be totally discounted. I believe if the individuals that have posted that they have started grinding since being braced could be grinding either due to stress or as their teeth are moved into better alignment.

Wow, that was brave going up against the doc!

I can cite many sources that say the opposite. Peer reviewed and double blind studies too. The might not be on Web-MD though so they shouldnt be deeemed reputable

Answer me this why do many pts who have horrible occlusions NOT clench and others that do clench like crazy?

The positon of the teeth have a limited and perhaps no bearing on clenching/bruxing activity/intensity. Heck there are pts wearing dentures (no teeth) who still clench.

One more thing to think about...

If your teeth are only supposed to be touching when chewing/swallowing (which equals about 1 minute of contact per day if memory serves) then how do the teeth know they are in malocclusion to clench/grind more?

The stimulus to trigger the muscles of mastication comes from the brain. That is what signals those muscles to fire and thus clench. Sadly we cannot stop that trigger so we have to minimize the damage caused by this. This is done with 'mouthguards" Those with an anterior stop tend to minimize clenching intensity most since they capitalize on one of the bodies natural reflexes that minimizes biting intensity. Believe it or not those guard that have full arch coverage (and posterior contact) can allow you to clench harder than if there was no guard at all.

As the teeth are supposed to be apart anyway during the great majority of the day the occlusion is a minimal factor. It is about parafunction.