grind my teeth

[Beebo]

The dentist wants to charge me £150 for a fitted mouth guard to stop me grinding my teeth at night. Is it worth it? You can buy cheapo one size fits all ones for £20.

I used to play loads of rugby so always had proper dentist fitted gum shields, but they were only about £50 max.

Does anyone else grind their teeth, do you have a mouth guard?

 

[Theseus]

I find that taking them out at night helps

 

[Mr Phoebus]

The dentist wants to charge me £150 for a fitted mouth guard

Didn't that make you grind your teeth?

 

[ttcycle]

I find my teeth guard really helpful- I kept chipping off the front enamel of the filling I'd had due to grinding- it still happens but I don't wake up with as much of a tired and sore head as before and it certainly saves my teeth over time.

I think a one size fits all is probably not a good idea as it will be loose in parts and probably cause irritation on the gum.

My old flatmate used to have one and we jokingly called them Cleetus teeth after that character in the Simpsons cause it makes you talk a bit odd!

 

[rockyraccoon]

Ask the your dentist. Just be honest and say the price difference is too much. I believe the higher price is because of the work involved and the extra time to make them. The dentist gets impression of your teeth and it is then molded using special techniques and material.

I don't think there is much difference between a custom made and the cheapo ones. The custom made will definitely fit better and also be more comfortable.

 

[Friz]

My ex used to grind in her sleep. I got a couple of the cheapo plastic ones off ebay that you boiled and bit down on to size them.

Worked a treat.

 

[LosingFocus]

My ex used to grind in her sleep.

fnarp...

 

[accountantpete]

I would have thought that an ill fitting guard could work loose and choke you - ask the Dentist though as they will know better than me.

 

[endoman]

Huge difference in a soft guard and a proper stabilisation splint. 150 is v cheap. The lab fee for a decent one is more than that.
Soft ones in general cause more problems. A gumshield is totally different,

 

[Arsen Gere]

There are these devices for snorers that should be ok in your mouth overnight.
For £10 might be worth a try, unless you start to chew them like wine gums.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stop-Snoring-Mouth-Piece-Guarantee/dp/B003MNSSW4

 

[endoman]

The reason people grind teeth is cos the muscles are firing away like crazy, the splints are designed to put the muscles in a neutral position, hence stoppping the clenching, it's not a physical barrier to prevent tooth wear. They are made very carefully to put the muscles in a neutral position by putting the teeth in a specific relationship. You can't do this with any home made device

A soft guard encourages more clenching, and more muscular tension and is usually bitten through in a few weeks,

A poorly made splint, and I've seen lots poorly made by dentists, makes things worse. Like all things, you need someone who really knows what they are doing.

 

[rowan 46]

The reason people grind teeth is cos the muscles are firing away like crazy, the splints are designed to put the muscles in a neutral position, hence stoppping the clenching, it's not a physical barrier to prevent tooth wear. They are made very carefully to put the muscles in a neutral position by putting the teeth in a specific relationship. You can't do this with any home made device

A soft guard encourages more clenching, and more muscular tension and is usually bitten through in a few weeks,

A poorly made splint, and I've seen lots poorly made by dentists, makes things worse. Like all things, you need someone who really knows what they are doing.

as an ex dental technician I agree its what he said also fitted one will not work loose and choke you while you are sleeping

 

[colly]

I used to grind my teeth at night. Bruxism it's called.

I had gone to a new dentist sort out some problems I had with my teeth and he said some of the problems were down to me grinding away every night. It was a while ago and IIRC he said the problem was down to malocclusion . Basically misalignment of the bite.

I think he did provide me with some kind of guard to put in at night but it was only temporary until he had sorted the underlying problem out.
With that sorted the grinding stopped. Must be 8 years now and I don't do it any more.