Jaw Pain/Teeth Grinding

[bears]

What has helped you with teeth grinding and jaw pain?

I have cracked a tooth and a crown so far due to grinding my teeth. I had a custom mouth guard that seems to help, but not enough. My doctor gave me a prescription for muscle relaxers to "get me out of the habit of grinding," but once I stopped taking them, I started grinding again. Now every morning, I wake up and my jaw is so stiff. It's painful to close my mouth and eat breakfast, but it eventually loosens up as the day goes on.

Any suggestions for how to fix this? My dentist had recommended a facial pain specialist but he didn't accept insurance and his website made me seriously doubt his professionalism. I'm trying to get into my primary care doctor, but I'm wondering if I'll need botox injections or similar to help here.

[countthestars]

Ugh, I'm sorry. I was going to recommend a Remi night guard, but it seems you're already trying a mouth guard. I hope someone has good advice for you here!

[Pilsy]

I'm sorry you're in pain! I wish I had some advice, but I'm just here to follow along.

I've worn a night guard for years, since breaking some teeth, and I just recently had my first jaw pain. I have a dentist appointment soon and plan to ask which options I have.

[shauni27]

I got a mouth guard which makes a world of difference. Not only were my teeth getting damaged, but I developed lock jaw so severely I could not open my mouth. Eating food was challenging even when not locked because of pain.

The mouth guard has changed all of that.

I am sorry you are not getting relief from the guard.

[shauni27]

tagging sent as she is a dentist if I recall correctly!

[skidunks]

Oh man, I’m so sorry you’re going though this!
You could consider Botox, I’ve heard that can help but I don’t know a lot about it. I clench a lot but I wear a night guard and it’s helped a lot. Do you clench during the day as well?

[skidunks]

Another question, do you snore at all?

[Susie]

I have been grinding in my sleep for 20+ years, and I'm very skeptical about solutions to actually stop grinding.  I wear both top and bottom night guards which seems to cushion enough that I don't have pain.  Wearing both top and bottom cushions a little more than just top, plus they are my retainers after doing Invisalign.  I get the thicker ones because of the grinding.

[beerlover]

I'm a grinder/clencher at night also and have lots of jaw problems. Specifically the left side of my jaw cracks every time I open it for probably 20 years. I did Invisalign for other reasons and it didn't help any of that, but also didn't make it worse, I guess.
Anyway, I have no advice other than to say it sucks and I am sorry you are dealing with it

[bears]

Mar 13, 2023 9:33:35 GMT -5 skidunks said:

Another question, do you snore at all?

I don't snore normally and I don't routinely clench during the day. My jaw has always clicked a lot, which seems to make my dentist uncomfortable.

[waverly]

I don't think anything totally helps with the grinding but my chiropractor helped with the jaw pain and opening issues. She uses the activator method which is less invasive than cracking it.  I had also gone to PT.  

[goldengirlz]

Mar 13, 2023 9:32:38 GMT -5 skidunks said:

Oh man, I’m so sorry you’re going though this!
You could consider Botox, I’ve heard that can help but I don’t know a lot about it. I clench a lot but I wear a night guard and it’s helped a lot. Do you clench during the day as well?

I get Botox for this because not only do I grind my teeth, but I grind through the night guard.

It’s not a miracle cure but it does help.

ETA: Insurance doesn’t cover it but you can sometimes use FSA.

[sent]

Mar 13, 2023 9:26:28 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

tagging sent as she is a dentist if I recall correctly!

Grinding is a tough one. We don't usually know the cause. Sometimes it can be a response to stressful situations. For growing kids in the middle of losing their baby teeth, sometimes it could be the mouth trying to find a stable bite. It could be a side effect to a medication. There is a theory that grinding at night is a response to our bodies trying to get more oxygen because of sleep disturbance or sleep apnea issues impeding the oxygen flow into the body. Dentists usually prescribe custom night guards so that at least the patient doesn't continue to destroy their teeth with the grinding and destroys the mouthguard instead. The mouthguard (aka splint) needs to be periodically replaced. Sounds like your dentist already did this. Periodic botox injections help some people. Getting tested for sleep apnea might be another route to explore. You could try going for a consult with an oral surgeon that does botox. That way they could offer the botox if needed but they may also have more ideas on how to mitigate it. 

[dove]

I am seeing a neuromuscular dentist later this month (after a long wait!) to figure out the grinding situation. I already have splints but am breaking those too.
Current general dentist theorizes something is going on at the muscular structure level since I’ve had the craniotomy. He wants to have that checked out and have the correct kind of splint made. He advised that Botox would be an option too that the sub specialty dentist can do.

[bears]

Mar 13, 2023 10:22:22 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

Mar 13, 2023 9:32:38 GMT -5 skidunks said:

Oh man, I’m so sorry you’re going though this!
You could consider Botox, I’ve heard that can help but I don’t know a lot about it. I clench a lot but I wear a night guard and it’s helped a lot. Do you clench during the day as well?

I get Botox for this because not only do I grind my teeth, but I grind through the night guard.

It’s not a miracle cure but it does help.

ETA: Insurance doesn’t cover it but you can sometimes use FSA.

I know this will vary wildly, but how much do you pay and how long does it last?

[goldengirlz]

Mar 13, 2023 10:51:19 GMT -5 bears said:

Mar 13, 2023 10:22:22 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

I get Botox for this because not only do I grind my teeth, but I grind through the night guard.

It’s not a miracle cure but it does help.

ETA: Insurance doesn’t cover it but you can sometimes use FSA.

I know this will vary wildly, but how much do you pay and how long does it last?

It lasts three months for me, roughly, but I metabolize it very fast. Some people can get closer to four, I think.

I go to my usual cosmetic place to have it done. I used to go to a place that charged a “therapeutic” price for non-cosmetic Botox ($10/unit) but they closed during covid and the new place only has one price ($18/unit). I need 30 units.

(I’ve also had it done by a dentist once and was less than impressed with him. It’s a big muscle and anyone who injects a lot of Botox can do it. The person I see says she does plenty of masseters, because in addition to grinding, some people also do them cosmetically, to smooth out a jawline.)

[raleighnc]

Are you on an SSRI or SNRI? I only ask because I started clenching after starting Lexapro and it took years before anyone made the connection. So now in addition to muscle relaxers, I take buspirone, which apparently blocks the mechanism of the SSRI that causes clenching (but not the anti-anxiety function).

Sometimes the bruxism can be a symptom of acid reflux. Or if your teeth have shifted or your jaw joint has something going on, that can contribute.

Other than that, it's really hard to treat clenching. You can do PT, but that's more to loosen the muscles after clenching (still good), muscle relaxers, and Botox. If you find anything else, let us know!

[atexan]

I had Botox. It definitely helped, but it was pricey ($600). Mine is definitely stress-related, as I notice a definite correlation. I clench during the daytime too when I'm stressed, but at least during the day I can make an effort to notice and relax. Night guards weren't helpful because I would spit them out in my sleep.

[sunnysally]

I saw a facial pain specialist and he recommended trying cortisone injections. I had 3 injections over 9 months-ish and noticed a huge improvement. I've also started using medical marijuana instead of muscle relaxants and significantly reduced my stress by switching jobs.

[felicity]

Mine is stress related or when I’m upset about something. It’s so bad when I do it that it makes my front teeth very slightly loose and they make little clicking sounds when I push on them. I’ve tried night guards but had a bad experience with one messing up my bite and affecting my crown badly enough that I had to replace the crown, so I’m a bit traumatized by that and don’t want to get another night guard.

Dealing with stuff upsetting me has been the best solution, but I’ve also had some luck focusing on relaxing my jaw during the day and massaging it. I stick my tongue between my teeth to help my jaw relax whenever I think about it, and I also try do this as I’m falling asleep. There’s something about it that naturally relaxes the jaw.

[springchick32]

I’ve been a grinder for ages. I finally went to a good dentist who cares so they made a custom night guard for the top and bottom which has helped but there are mornings I still wake up with a headache or a sore jaw from excessive grinding. I make it a point to stretch out my jaw a few times from wake up time to bed time. I’ll push my bottom teeth forward and back, and then side to side and I’ll open my mouth real wide….it seems to help stretch my jaw and relieve the tension. They also told me during the day to loosely keep my tongue resting up behind my front teeth to prevent day clenching. Sometimes I’ll just wear the bottom guard only at night because it’s less tension than with the top in as well. I think mine is stress related. They also offered Botox but it was around $700 and it would need to be done every 3 months or so. No thanks. Grinding is such an annoying thing to deal with 😡

[onetruething]

The only thing that has given me relief is Botox. I have to get a lot all over my jaw and scalp so it's expensive, but the only thing that has worked so far. 

[bears]

Thanks so for all of the advice. I sent a note to my PCP and she gave me a prescription for muscle relaxers and I'm hoping they allow my mouth to relax at night enough so that I'll be able to fully close my mouth the next day.

She also gave me a referral for a TMJ specialist (DDS), so hopefully I'll get another mouth guard or Botox or something so I stop cracking my teeth.