Teeth Grinding - Mouth Guards - Any experience?

[dex]

Teeth Grinding (Bruxism): Causes, Complications and Treatment

My dentist tells me I have a classic case of grinding my teeth while I sleep. He said this after looking at my teeth. The prevention is to get a mouth guard made. I didn't get the price yet. I don't have insurance.

I'm a skeptic when it comes to these things.

Does anyone have experience with this issue?

Any suggestions.

I'm thinking about trying to find an off the shelf mouth guard (not a boxing one but something called "Boil & Bit mouth protector" or whatever I can find) to see if I can determine anything before getting the dentist's mouth guard.

 

[KB]

I have one that I got when I was still working. I wore it at night and it helped.

Now that I'm retired, I grind my teeth during the day. Oh well. I'm not going to wear it during the day.

 

[ziggy29]

I have one. As I recall it cost about $200, but this was a few years ago.

Seems to work fine for me, when I remember to use it. My wife can always gauge my stress level by how frequently she catches me grinding my teeth at night.

 

[Moemg]

I'd go with the boil & bite mouthguard that you can buy on ebay . They are similar to what you'd pay a dentist $300 for . I had a custom guard made by my Dentist for $300.00 . My So bought a boil & bite on ebay for under $6.00 and actually his guard is a heavier plastic .

 

[Darryl]

I had one 20 years ago cost me a couple hundred. I know all about inflation but I would guess cost to the dentist is about $7 so don't pay big bucks. I wore it less than a year as the grinding went away when I took some tasks out of my life. I've read many articles over the years claiming these things are not good for your dental health of course grinding tooth on tooth can't be good either. If I thought I had a need today I would go get a football mouth guard for $10 at a sporting goods store drop it in boiling water mold it my teeth and call it a day. PLEASE NOTE I AM NOT A DENTIST.
For me it was a stress level with school and work and income level when I got a raise and promotion at work and dropped the graduate coursework work the grinding went away. If your symptoms could be solved so simply it's a better choice than a mouthguard.

 

[travelover]

30 years ago my dentist suggested that I wear the boil and form type since I was grinding my teeth at night and I did not have dental insurance. I've been wearing this type ever since. Last one was $1.00 at Sports Authority.

My wife recently started grinding her teeth and her dentist gave her a guard that looks almost exactly like mine for $450 - not a typo - paid for by her dental insurance.

My tooth grinding started when I took Calculus in college, but it didn't stop even when I retired. I guess it can be a lifelong trait.

 

[Darryl]

I was using calculus for profit maximization models and economical order at quantities etc... at the time of my diagnosis. I believe we have found root cause. Calculus!

 

[dex]

Thanks I'm going to try one of those boil and bite ones.

 

[kyounge1956]

I was using calculus for profit maximization models and economical order at quantities etc... at the time of my diagnosis. I believe we have found root cause. Calculus!

My dentist has also said I may be grinding my teeth at night and suggested a bite guard for several hundred bucks, but it can't be calculus because I stopped after the last pre-calc class. I'm balking at buying a guard. There doesn't seem any way to be sure whether I'm grinding or not, and without a definite diagnosis the guard wouldn't be covered by my dental insurance. I'm balking at spending that kind of money to solve a problem I may not even have. Tell me more about these boil & bite things. Spending $10 or $20 sounds a lot more reasonable under the circumstances.

Also, I have to admit to some suspicion that these bite guards (and some other things like tooth whitening and the extra flouride rinse) are the dental version of "up-selling" or whatever they call it when the counter guy at a fast food restaurant asks if you want to get the supersize fries instead of regular. I can't be a very profitable patient for my dentist—I haven't had a cavity since I was 11, and this isn't the same dentist that put the filling in way back when. All I ever get is a clean & polish and periodic X-rays. I would kind of like to use the boil & bite for a while before my next appointment and see if they still ask whether I want a guard. If they can't tell I've already been using one, I will consider my suspicions confirmed.

 

[toofrugalformycat]

My dentist was a licensed hypnotist and taught me how to hypnotize myself to stop grinding my teeth in my sleep. I know, this sounds whacko but it worked for me.
I second your motion to try to bite guard unless your dentist is a hypnotist (or maybe even if he/she is).
If anyone wants to know what he told me, ask, but I have no training or expertise in anything like this, so it'd just be an anecdote.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Teeth Grinding (Bruxism): Causes, Complications and Treatment

My dentist tells me I have a classic case of grinding my teeth while I sleep. He said this after looking at my teeth. The prevention is to get a mouth guard made. I didn't get the price yet. I don't have insurance.

I'm a skeptic when it comes to these things.

Does anyone have experience with this issue?

Any suggestions.

I'm thinking about trying to find an off the shelf mouth guard (not a boxing one but something called "Boil & Bit mouth protector" or whatever I can find) to see if I can determine anything before getting the dentist's mouth guard.

I grind my teeth according to my dentist. I tried the mouth guard. I couldn't stand having something in my mouth. It was impossible to get a good nights sleep.

I have insurance if I remember correctly the price range was around 300. I still have the mold if I want to get another one made... Interesting thing is they haven't mentioned much about me grinding my teeth lately. I wonder if it was an up sale.

 

[donheff]

Thanks for the boil and bite tip -- I will point DW to that one.

 

[dex]

I picked up one in Sports Authority for $2. I'm going to try it for awhile and see if it does anything for me.

Target has one for $18 that comes with a case that I might get if I continue with it.

 

[travelover]

I picked up one in Sports Authority for $2. I'm going to try it for awhile and see if it does anything for me.

Target has one for $18 that comes with a case that I might get if I continue with it.

I've found that the ones like at Sports Authority take a little finessing to get right. If it is not comfortable, you may need to reheat it and remold it. Or if you are a big spender like me, buy two.

 

[dex]

I've found that the ones like at Sports Authority take a little finessing to get right. If it is not comfortable, you may need to reheat it and remold it. Or if you are a big spender like me, buy two.

Last night was my first night with it. No problem shaping. Looks like it took a good impression of my teeth - fit well in the mouth, no problem sleeping or anything else.

I'll try it for a week or so and I might get the one below if the $2 one doesn't last too long. It appears that the saliva can flow around it a bit more.

DenTek NightGuard-Clear : Target

 

[David1961]

I've been using a night guard for about 10 years. I used one custom made by the dentist's office -about $200 or so. I was skeptical if I even needed it but in about 6 months of using it, I had actually grinded a hole in the night guard and needed a new one.
Note that if you start using one it might take awhile to get used to it. Having a foreign object in your mouth increases saliva at first. But after a few days, you get used to it.

 

[Redbugdave]

Hi Dex, I have been using one for about 5 years. Mine clicks in and stays there. It takes some pulling to take it out. My molars were starting to get pretty flat and I think it has helped. When I grind, I am fast asleep and not aware of it. One note, when you are getting used to wearing a mouth guard you will slobber like a rabid dog, and you will get used to it in a couple weeks or so. Tell your wife you don't need the rabies shots...

 

[dex]

I've been using it for 10 days or so. I stopped for a couple of nights because of a cold. I did notice a bit of tooth pain in the jaw when I stopped so it might indicate I am grinding my teeth.

 

[Dreamer]

I have also worn one for a couple of years. I have been grinding my teeth off and on for most of my life. However, it really was bad when my daughter was 17-18 yrs old and giving me fits at the time. My teeth hurt so bad that I was convinced that I had a cavity and did not believe him when he said it was from my grinding my teeth. The dentist made me one and I have not had any problems since. If I forget to put it in, I will get back up because I don't want any more toothaches.

 

[MikeD]

I was using calculus for profit maximization models and economical order at quantities etc... at the time of my diagnosis. I believe we have found root cause. Calculus!

Calculus is the root cause of all man's ills. I switched from Va Tech, Blacksburg, VA (two years of calculus req'd for a Comp Sci BS) to the University of MD, College Park, MD (ONE year of Calculus req'd).

On Topic: My wife got a Rx tooth guard about 20 years ago for night time grinding (covered by Ins.). It saved her teeth and pain. She ground through it and replaced it with the $5.00 kind. She says they are just as good and the guards are effective.

Mike D.

 

[Dreamer]

On Topic: My wife got a Rx tooth guard about 20 years ago for night time grinding (covered by Ins.). It saved her teeth and pain. She ground through it and replaced it with the $5.00 kind. She says they are just as good and the guards are effective.

Mike D.

That is nice to know, Mike. My prescription guard is still good, but I will try the $5.00 kind, if and when I grind through it.

 

[Dog]

I just started wearing a night guard from my dentist ($300, but with insurance I paid $67). I clench my jaw during the night and occasionally it locks up and I have to use yoga breathing to get it to release. I tried the drug store mouth guard, but it was too bulky for my mouth and I kept pulling it out during the night. This new one fits much better and I am able to leave it in all night. I've also noticed my headaches are gone.

Good luck Dex.

 

[joesxm3]

I am probably a bit late responding, but my computer was broken.

I was told that I needed the mouth guard and checked with my boss who is a retired dentist.

He told me that the mouth guard is one of the major profit items for the dentists. He said that if he had uninsured patients he would give them a break and charge only about $75. However the going rate is $450 and typically covered at 50% by insurance.

There are two kinds - full mouth and small front tooth only. My boss said that I should get the full mouth, but my dentist recomended the small one because it is more likely that people will wear it. One friend of mine got the full mouth and only used it for three days.

I tried to bargin with the dental office but they sent me a semi-threatening letter asking if that since I was refusing to follow their treatment plan did that mean that they should consider me to no longer be a patient.

I finally broke down and got the small unit that basically goes over my two front rabbit teeth on the top.

I wear it every night and all in all I am happy with it. I think I do grind my teeth at night and maybe in the day also. However, I may clench more than grind. I do not get the jaw pain that sometimes is associated with grinding.

I am not familiar with the boil and bite guards, but I am guessing that they are made of soft material. Mine was made from a mold taken of my teeth and is very hard plastic.

However, I guess if the cheap one feels ok while sleeping you could buy a hundred of them for the price of one professional guard if they wear out.

 

[Zoocat]

I had one, lost it, and never replaced it. I can attest to the consequences of NOT wearing one. While I was going through divorce I apparently was clenching my teeth a lot at night. A year later I went to the dentist, after breaking a tooth, and the x-rays showed that many of my molars, which had fillings, had hairline fractures and would probably break sometime in the near future. Of course, this situation, the teeth clenching, had probably been in the works for a few years, just like my failing marriage.

So four crowns and a few thousand dollars later . . .