Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi Lucyloop,

I found this website:

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Boo ... /47/23.cfm

And in it this quote:

During the day, keep your mouth in the "healthy resting position." Your teeth should touch only when you're chewing food or swallowing, says Andrew S. Kaplan, D.M.D., an assistant clinical professor of dentistry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York. If you practice keeping your teeth apart, it will reduce the urge to clench or grind. Set little reminders in key places around your home and office so that you won't forget. He suggests repeating the phrase "lips together, teeth apart" as a reminder.

Now if only I can do this during the night I would be in great shape!

I caught myself (woke myself up) clenching my front teeth the other night. Argh!!!

I think I am clenching/grinding less during the day but just as much at night. I might take this guys advice (see website above) to do the 7X7 thing. I wonder if it will work?

I may also try accupuncture. I really, really want to stop! I read somewhere that as you get older you stop doing it. But I think I am old enough now!

You asked about what people did with their teeth before they were braced and I really can't remember...it just wasn't an issue. Now I've started clenching my teeth, about 2 months after being braced. I know it's not good for my teeth but I can't help it, especially at night. I am getting elastics at some point and have heard that this can make clenching worse. I'm hoping its just phase that will pass.

It's changed for me a lot throughout treatement but now that my bite feels really good everything just feels natural. When I'm 'at rest' my teeth are apart.

I think things will get better once your bite is all perfected, it really surprised me how much more comfortable a good bite made everything really.

Evelyn wrote: I think things will get better once your bite is all perfected, it really surprised me how much more comfortable a good bite made everything really.

Wow that was a bad sentence...I really miss the edit feature!

I'm glad someone asked this, because I've noticed that my teeth touch now more than they used to.

I've also noticed that the last few days my jaw is extremely tight and I don't really know why. It's like, I'll go to take a bite of something and I can hardly open my mouth! I'm going to ask my ortho about it tomorrow. Anyone else have that problem???

Hey Lucy,

Since being braced I found myself clenching my teeth together and grinding alot, causing TMJ. My ortho said as in the quote, that the teeth should not touch apart from chewing. Relaxed they should be apart with the jaw loose so tension does not build up. BUT this is actually very hard to do as I find myself naturally biting together. Try to avoid doing it if you can.

Hope this helps.

sydsmom wrote:I've also noticed that the last few days my jaw is extremely tight and I don't really know why. It's like, I'll go to take a bite of something and I can hardly open my mouth!

I feel the same way, sometimes I wonder if I'm going to be able to open my mouth (because it feels so tight). I've had to keep my mouth open since getting braced because my two top front teeth hit my bottom brackets. And I've tried to think back before I was braced as to how my mouth would be but I just can't remember. Not only has keeping my teeth apart made my jaw tight, it also caused me to have heachaches. But I'm about on my 6th week now and the headaches have been few and far between .

The above poster was correct--teeth don't touch at rest. In fact, teeth don't even really touch unless you are griding them. Even when chewing food, there is typically food between the teeth.

i was a mouth breather before braces...hopefully i'm getting better at that. so, no, i dont *think* my teeth touch now.

it's an interesting question though. i didnt realize until i started with my ortho that my teeth stuck out too much for me to be able to close my mouth without straining the muscles in my face...i am starting to wonder if that's one of the reasons i've continued breathing out of my mouth.

what i have noticed recently is that my front teeth, which used to flare out pretty badly...maybe 35-40 degrees if i had to guess...are now in about the *right* place. so if i move my bottom jaw forward, i can actually touch my top and bottom teeth together for the first time in my life. it's so strange to feel these changes taking place sometimes!