Teeth grinding

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I grind my teeth and as far as I can remember I always have. The last time I went to the dentist, they said they can order a nighttime mouth guard thingy for me which should help with the grinding. But because it has to be custom made for my specific mouth, it costs $500. I said no.

Fast forward to today, I went to the dentist again and they said good news! Apparently my dental insurance said they would pay for half of the mouth guard, so it'd "only" cost me $250. That's still a lot of money. The dentist then said that if I want I could set up a monthly payment plan and only pay like $20 per month for a year (no interest). I could see doing that, although I'm still not sure if it's worth it. I've got a lot of other bills anyway and it seems kind of silly to me to acquire more debt. But then again, I don't want to grind my teeth down to nubs either.

So, I thought I'd ask around. Do any of you guys have a nighttime mouth guard to prevent teeth grinding? If so, do you like it? Would you say it's worth $250? Was it easy to get used to, are you able to fall asleep easily with a mouth guard in your mouth? If you were me would you save the $250 or get the mouth guard?

 

[Astra]

Hiya Cat,

1. yes
2. no
3. no
4, no
5, no
6. no
I threw mine across the room!
I soon stopped being a bruxer too, in times of calm!
By the way, mine cost £30, $500 is a bit steep innit!
xxxx

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

30 pounds (I don't know how to make the L symbol on this keyboard) sounds much more reasonable, Joan. $500 seems really steep to me. Even the $250 after insurance seems high, I could buy a lot of groceries for that kind of money and stick those in my mouth instead!

 

[rygon]

You can buy boil in the bag mouthguards for £3 (although not that comfortable). Custom ones can cost about £100, but these are for sports like boxing etc. Guess there cant be too much in it though, but as said it seems very expensve at $500.
I grind my teeth quite a bit but I wouldnt dream of spending that on a mouth guard

 

[JetWhite]

I too have bruxism but my dentist said that the mouthguard option wasn't very effective as they are very expensive and usually chewed through in no time.

She did recommend a low dose of amitriptyline at night and that has helped. I am actually gently increasing the dose in order to benefit from the bowel advantages of amitriptyline too :thumleft:

Mostly I suffered from the dreadful headaches from teeth gritting and that has definitely improved since taking amitriptyline

 

[Entchen]

Hi Cat: Mine's well over $500 (got it when insurance paid 100%) and it's worth every penny to stop further damage. My tooth grinding has neurological origins and is quite severe - my dentist could tell from the level of damage to my teeth when I stopped wearing it for a short time, for example. I am so used to wearing an appliance more than 15 years (ack) that I have a hard time sleeping without it. They will trim it down to be really comfortable for you - no stray edges. Especially if you have bits of teeth falling out (I remember the pieces would rain down onto my textbooks in school), an appliance is the way to go.

 

[HeatherMN]

You can get ones at Walgreens/Target/Walmart that you can boil and shape to your mouth. They're about $25. They are bulky though, and I found it hard to sleep with it in, I drooled a lot! You can find them in the aisle with the toothpaste and mouth stuff.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Jet, I'm on Amitriptyline too, 25 mg each night. It helps me sleep but I know I still grind my teeth in spite of the Amitrip - if I should wake up in the middle of the night, my jaw is always clenched or feels tight.

Kelly - My goodness, what a freaky mental image of teeth fragments raining down on textbooks! Fortunately I'm not nearly that bad, haven't lost any bits of teeth yet. If I do get to that point then I would definitely invest in the mouth guard. For now, I'm still thinking it's too much money for me.

 

[matty]

I've been using one for 1 month. I got used to it in 3 nights. I was having the worse toothaches on one side and pain along and backof ear, pressure on cheeks and pain on jaw line, ringing in ears. Dentist said the pain isnot from the tooth but tmj. He filled 2 teeth on that side and has to do 1 more. Since the mouth guard the pain has went down, but stil there. So hoping the last one he does gets rid of this pain.

 

[JetWhite]

Jet, I'm on Amitriptyline too, 25 mg each night. It helps me sleep but I know I still grind my teeth in spite of the Amitrip - if I should wake up in the middle of the night, my jaw is always clenched or feels tight.

I know what you mean, I know I still clench a bit, but it doesn't seem so bad, I don't wake with terrible headaches and I really drop off to sleep way better :thumleft:
As Amitriptyline is good for bowel spasm/pain/discomfort I am gradually increasing the dose, which my GI consultant approves of, and as it has some anti-depressant qualities I hope to get off those sooner
At the moment I'm on 50mg at night but I do experience certain side effects when I increase the dose which is why I am going up very slowly.
Maybe you should ask you doc about increasing the dose

 

[Astra]

Hiya Jet

I was thinking of asking to up my Amitrippy stuff too, but it makes you fat!
I'm still trying to lose the Pred and Entocort weight.
I've been getting more pain from the Arnold's Neuralgia again, or maybe I'm clenching or bruxing again, so maybe I should.
I just can't get up in the mornings as it is at 25mg!
xxx

 

[JetWhite]

Hiya Jet

I was thinking of asking to up my Amitrippy stuff too, but it makes you fat!
I'm still trying to lose the Pred and Entocort weight.
I've been getting more pain from the Arnold's Neuralgia again, or maybe I'm clenching or bruxing again, so maybe I should.
I just can't get up in the mornings as it is at 25mg!
xxx

Yes, I do get an appetite burst, and the sleepiness, when I go up in dose but then I find it settles. It's relative to the proportion of increase. When I went up from 10-20mg I really noticed it, including a couple of other side effects. Then 20-30mg was similar but 30-40mg was okay so after a week I went up to 50mg and have wanted to eat constantly ever since

I too have still not managed to lose all the weight I gained on pred but I am confident that the effects of the Amitriptyline fade so I am keeping at it. If it sorts the bruxism, bowel spasm and means I can come off the anti-depressants (they make me sweat :redface: ) it will be worth it.
I'll let you know how I get on

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Joan, I didn't know that Amitrip can cause weight gain too! I just got off Entocort about a month ago and I gained a little bit more weight on the Ento than I would have liked. I was hoping to slim down just a tiny bit for swimsuit season! Hm, now I'm discouraged. Don't want to up my Amitrip dosage if it'll cause even more weight gain!

 

[tiloah]

Teeth grinder here as well. Well, clencher. I think the clenching is what causes my migraines. It also makes my facial muscles extremely tight and they twitch sometimes.

 

[RFarmer]

I bite my nails, which I'm told has the same effect, yet slower. But I don't worry! The tips of my top teeth are crowns!

 

[AndiGirl]

Hi Cat! I'm a horrible tooth grinder, bruxer. On Wednesday, after getting the five fillings, I'm going to be fit for my mouth guard. I've worn one before, but it seemed to make my gag reflux worse. When I was suffering from nausea, there was no way that I wanted to use that thing.

I would have stayed away from wearing one altogether, but Randy scared me into trying it again. I've mentioned in another post, that he was a dental assistant for a while. He's seen everything, mouth wise. He claims there were people a little older than me who had a bunch of broken teeth from all the grinding. Bruxism is very hard on the teeth. My back teeth are worn down, but I don't have any cracks yet. Randy claims that after wearing the teeth down, people start getting cracks, or their teeth break apart, and when that happens there is a lot of pain and expense.

I love my dentist Dr. Bagguette, as he is very calm, gentle, and patient. I explained the CD to him, along with the gag reflux when wearing the device. He suggested that I try a bottom guard. My other mouth guards were fit for the top teeth. He claims that the bottom ones are better tolerated. My insurance covers part of the cost, though other insurance may cover the whole thing, or not cover it at all.

My only advice is, try to cut down on the wear and tear. I'm sure the wear that I've put my teeth through has made it easier for me to get cavities.

 

[xJillx]

I have the expensive night guard from the dentist, but I hardley wear it. It is so uncomfortable. However, my mom and best friend have the same one and don't mind it at all. Actually, my best friend says she can't sleep without it. But I think I have to start wearing it again, because I know I must be clenching lately, as I wake up with a sore mouth.

 

[Mayflower537]

My husband has also used the cheap, boil-it-yourself mouth guards from the pharmacy for years as we were not willing to shell out the big bucks for the professional one. In fact, I think his dentist actually mentioned it as an option when my husband expressed reluctance to get the $500 dollar one.

 

[Entchen]

I suppose it depends on what it's needed for. As the girl whose teeth fall out in chunks (honest) when she isn't wearing a bite guard, mine's worth every penny of the $1700 that I let insurance pay for, lol. (Oh how I miss that insurance plan!!!!) Cost for replacement teeth would surely be higher across time, especially since the bite guards last for so many years and are low maintenance.

 

[Joleen23]

Hey , i work at a dentist (NHS) as a dental nurse.
Some patient's who get the bite guards say that they don't get on with them as when there asleep they tend to spit them out without realising. Others swear by them. I would also say that $500 is a lot to pay. We charge £190 under the NHS due to the stupid banding system we have. (as it has to be sent to a lab like denture and crown work it come under tyhe same costing bracket) I do know that the lab fee for one is around £30 though.

 

[Carrie630]

Hi. I think I paid about $350 for my mouthguard. It's an ntiplus device with a top and bottom piece which is less bulky than the traditional 1 piece mouthguard. It does help me grind and clench less, but it can also make me nauseous because I'll swallow more air/saliva or something. I also managed to crack the top of the bottom piece but not so much that it can't be used. I'd probably recommend it to someone who doesn't have a lot of health issues, but the saliva/air swallowing that happens when I wear it can be terribly uncomfortable.