Teeth grinding

[SeniorRedrings]

I grind my teeth in my sleep,it is one aspect of my anxiety that I truly feel at a loss to control.
I would like to know if anyone else does this?

While awake and under moments of great stress my lower jaw used to move involuntarily and come up to impact with great force on my upper teeth,causing quite a bit of pain and damage,I feel this is probably happening in my sleep too as sometimes I wake up with aching teeth and sore jaw.

It would be helpful to just talk about this with other people who go through similar experiences of involuntary acts of anxiety.
There have been a few posts recently claiming to be able to point us in the direction of miracle cures.I for one would rather talk about the basic truthful reality of anxiety conditions,stick with the meat and potatoes instead of searching for a mythical pot of gold.

 

[Ms Cloud]

Yup, I'm a tooth grinder. And a nail-biter. I also wake up drenched in sweat most nights. It's kinda funny though.

 

[coyote]

i don't have this problem, but i think they make mouth pieces that you can wear when you sleep - they're supposed to help lessen the effects of tooth grinding

 

[Remus]

I bite my tongue and wake myself up in pain

 

[Phoenixx]

I've been noticing that I grind my teeth in my sleep too. It's not really bad, to the point where my jaw or teeth ache, but it's obviously not a good thing either.

Although I have mostly got over my nail biting. I did a couple years ago, but then got back into doing it again. So far, I've stopped again for about half the year now and hopefully it stays that way. My nails look so much better.

 

[SeniorRedrings]

Yes,the night sweats.I have been told my forehead looks like popping oil in a frying pan when I'm in REM.

 

[SeniorRedrings]

It's very aggressive grinding.I don't want to choke in my sleep on torn foam.

 

[SeniorRedrings]

Oh ****.It's frightening isn't it,knowing there is one area of your anxiety that you can't get at because it comes out in your sleep.

 

[SeniorRedrings]

I am glad it is not severe in your case.
You know,biting your nails isn't all that bad a thing to do as things to do go.

 

[Ms Cloud]

You know,biting your nails isn't all that bad a thing to do as things to do go.

I agree, I love biting my nails and I've never quite understood why it's seen as a bad thing (unless you do it in public... that would be kinda gross).

The only drawback, for me, is that it's really hard to pick up coins off a flat surface. The other day I dropped some coins on the floor at the grocery store, and I was down there for ages trying to pick them up. No one offered to help me, they just stared.

i don't have this problem, but i think they make mouth pieces that you can wear when you sleep - they're supposed to help lessen the effects of tooth grinding

I tried that. I always woke up with the mouthpiece beside me on the pillow, saying "Hello!"

 

[Silatuyok]

Yep. I'm a bruxomaniac. Have been since I grew teeth, pretty much. I grind my teeth almost all the time, to varying degrees. So the only thing I am able to do is try to constantly remind myself to relax my jaw. Last time I went to the dentist he said that your upper and lower teeth are only supposed to be making contact with each other while you're chewing. This was a revelation to me, and something I try to keep in mind as much as possible.

 

[Blabla..]

i still grind my teeth while i sleep , i think , i do it since i'm a kid , during the day my jaw is always tense , i can relax it but as soon as i stop thinking about it it gets so tight again,

 

[Moa]

I'm not a teeth grinder, but I am a jaw clencher. When my anxiety is really bad, I'll wake up with severe pain in my eyeteeth. I thought it was a cavity the first time it happened. My dentist fit me with a custom piece to wear at night, it fits just over my front teeth. Apparently that will work if you clench but do not grind. If you do grind, they recommend a full mouthpiece. The ones at the drugstore are not going to fall apart and cause choking, they are made of materials resistant to tearing.

 

[SeniorRedrings]

What you said about the teeth making contact,well I can draw comfort from the sense of that as it was explained.

 

[SeniorRedrings]

It is like having an opponent who is only interested in engaging you when you are relaxed or unawares through sleep or whatever.

 

[SeniorRedrings]

Thank you,it is good to be told of the strength of these products.I should tell you that my two front teeth are now half the length they used to be.I should also tell you that my jaw will snap shut,smashing the teeth against each other when I experience extreme stress while awake.

 

[this_portrait]

I used to grind my teeth in my sleep a lot (and pretty hard, too), but I'm pretty sure I've grown out of it. I did it so bad that I have a little bit of permanent evidence of it; some of my teeth are chipped a little and some of the enamel has been grinded off as well. It's nothing TOO noticeable, but yeah, it's there.

Wearing a mouth guard at night helps quite a bit. I wore one for a time, but I eventually got fed up with it because it kept pushing my top gums upward, which made them swell up. It wasn't pleasant.

 

[SeniorRedrings]

Could you not smear a nominal amount of vaseline on your gums to stop the rubbing?

 

[WeirdyMcGee]

For the past few years, I grind my teeth almost all the time without realizing it.
Because I'm always so nervous, I clench my jaw.

I haven't seen a dentist in... uhh... 12 years? 13 years, I guess... so I don't know if it's affecting my teeth or not.
Don't really care, either.
I hate my teeth, anyway.

 

[SeniorRedrings]

I hate my teeth too.
I can't wait for them to fall out so I can replace with some lovely porcelain numbers.