Bruxism

[LunaLiuna]

Hello everyone,

Doe's anyone have any tips on how to stop clenching my jaw and putting my tongue on the roof of my mouth? I do it during the day and at night lately, I've even woken up with cuts.

Any idea's would be great, I do massage sometimes but it's only a temporary relief. Chance's are the SSRI I'm on isn't helping.

Thank you :D

[MrAndy]

get a bite guard made by your dentist it will train you to stop doing it, after a while you wont need it again

[LunaLiuna]

I was thinking that, it's just getting there :l

I think it's what's sparked my latest anxiety, so I guess the outcomes worth it.

[almamatters]

My sister had a mouth guard made for her by the dentist and it definitely helped her. I suffer from this condition especially when I am thinking or driving, I use chewing gum just to give myself a distraction.

[LunaLiuna]

Has anyone had facial aches aswell? like on the temples , cheeks and nose?

[MrAndy]

Has anyone had facial aches aswell? like on the temples , cheeks and nose?
Yes I used the grind my teeth so bad my temples became very sore and the next day I had a migraine,my dentist figured it out and the bite guard worked for me

[LunaLiuna]

Okay thankyou, I went to get the mould for my teeth today, but it'll take a week for the actual guard to arrive.

[EKB]

I clench too. I don't always grind my teeth, but my tongue was always sucked up to the roof of my mouth and my facial muscles tight. So much that I also get temple, ear, and cheek pain. Both sides.

I too will be looking into a night guard. But for now I've found a few strategies that help. When I'm going to sleep I chant to myself "lips together, teeth apart" which seems to help me follow through in my sleep. During the day I practice keeping my tongue either "floating" in my mouth, or gently touching the back of my bottom teeth. That has also seemed to follow through to in my sleep. If I've had a really tense day, I'll take a muscle relaxer (like Robaxicet) before bed and put a hot washcloth on my face. I find something relaxing like rosehip tea or chamomile before bed help too.

Finally, if you also get sinus pressure (which can compound your discomfort), saline nasal treatments and steam/humidity can alleviate that pressure so that you're mainly just having to deal with the face muscle pain.

Best of luck! I know how much this sucks.

[greenlady]

can anyone feel lumps in their massater muscle due to clenching

[LunaLiuna]

Those lumps are most likely your muscle ;)

[greenlady]

thanks luna was at my dentist yesterday and he said same thing,,the lumps are on the massater muscles just above my chin both sides..he said mt muscles were in spasm and is making me a soft splint

[LunaLiuna]

I'm getting one too, it should arrive next week. my cheeks are getting cut though :(

[jillyb]

I've had lots of these problems and was convinced it was really serious. Eventually I started seeing an oesteopath and he was brilliant. He explained everything to me, showed me lots of diagrams in his books and worked on my masseter muscles and adjoining muscles. Because of all the clenching the muscles were full of knots, scarring and trigger points. It is amazing how these muscles affect you. I had numbness in my gums, throat problems etc and all caused by these muscle going into spasm. The treatment was very painful initially but it worked. He was also very reassuring, which helped my anxiety. I hope you feel better soon.

[LunaLiuna]

Hello everyone, I'm just going to revive this thread instead of creating a whole new one.

I've had the mouth guard for my jaw clenching over a month now, although it's helped with some of the pain I'm still getting cut cheeks!

Does anyone know of anything else I can do to stop me grinding? :l

[PanchoGoz]

Edit: Think I've misread post somehow, it says you've had the mouthguard a month when you were waiting for it still a couple of weeks ago? :roflmao:
Give it more time, you may be biting your cheeks in the day
I had one it helped quite a bit

[Emphyrio]

Magnesium and exercise helps, supposedly. I've had bruxism for most of my adult life - whether I take meds or not - and have just learned to live with it most of the time (use gum shield at night).

[LunaLiuna]

Sorry, I'm not the best with dates.

I wear my guard through the day as well to try and train myself not to clench. but I still seem to be getting cuts, also my ears keep playing up :(

[PanchoGoz]

Hmm not sure what's giving you those cuts then as the guard should be soft and rounded. I would deffo try to give it a couple of weeks more, make it a good month to see how you get on.

[LunaLiuna]

Hmm not sure what's giving you those cuts then as the guard should be soft and rounded. I would deffo try to give it a couple of weeks more, make it a good month to see how you get on.

The guard was made by a dentist and is super soft, It's on the side I lie down on, so I must be like biting down on my cheek on top of the guard. if that makes sense :)

[LunaLiuna]

Anyone? I'm a little fed up :l

[jillyb]

I had a gumshield too and wore it day and night but I can honestly say it was seeing the oesteopath and really understanding the mechanics of it all that helped me to relax. Once I relaxed about it, it went! Now, when I feel everything tensing up I just acknowledge it and it passes. Never wear the gumshield now. Prior to seeing the oesteopath I had seen an oral surgeon who said it was all anxiety led and that was what needed addressing. He was right! I hope you feel better soon x

[LunaLiuna]

I had a gumshield too and wore it day and night but I can honestly say it was seeing the oesteopath and really understanding the mechanics of it all that helped me to relax. Once I relaxed about it, it went! Now, when I feel everything tensing up I just acknowledge it and it passes. Never wear the gumshield now. Prior to seeing the oesteopath I had seen an oral surgeon who said it was all anxiety led and that was what needed addressing. He was right! I hope you feel better soon x


Thank you again Jilly, I'm just stuck in this circle of knowing I have jaw problems but also not believing it even though I have proof!

I think I'm going to have to see an oesteopath, I have been using ibuprofen but it's only temporary relief, it's so frustrating :mad:

[jillyb]

I've just posted on your other post about your family situation ...no wonder you are having these problems! You take care of yourself xxx