Over one million Americans wake up each morning in significant pain from nighttime teeth grinding and clenching (bruxism). Does the fact that these people remain in pain every day mean they all don't have dentists? No, actually most of these people have dentists. Unfortunately, while most dentists are expert at preventing tooth damage and repairing damaged teeth, they are taught little or nothing in dental school about the psychology of habits, and most long-term tooth grinding and clenching is a habit most people would very much like to kick.
So what does it take to kick the habit of tooth grinding and clenching? As you might suspect from thinking about other habits (such as smoking, over-eating, drinking, or nail biting), the answer is different for different people. The "solution" that most dentists currently recommend is a custom-made mouth guard.
The custom mouth guards that dentists recommend come in many varieties, most costing between $500 and $800. There is strong disagreement between dentists on which is the "best" type of mouth guard to use. Some are made by vacuum-molding a hot thin sheet of plastic over a plaster replica of your upper teeth. Some cast acrylic, made in a mold made from an impression of both your upper and lower teeth.
It's not unusual for people to follow their dentist's advice and plunk down between $500 and $800 for a custom-made mouth guard. Once you put out the big bucks, you get to find out if you are someone whose nighttime clenching gets worse or better when you wear your custom mouth guard.
"Now just a minute" you might say, "are you telling me my clenching problem could actually get worse?" Yes, unfortunately it could. The problem is that although mouth guards keep your tooth enamel from being worn away, they don't necessarily make you clench less. Some people's teeth grinding and clenching habit is such that when they are asleep, a mouth guard feels like an annoyance to be chewed through rather than a reminder to relax.
Most mouth guards go between your upper and lower molars, preventing upper tooth enamel from touching lower tooth enamel, and spreading the load if you clench your teeth. The load-spreading idea is that if you keep clenching, the mouth guard will help you do less damage. Sometimes this may work. Unfortunately in some cases the damage done can be significantly worse with a mouth guard.
Some mouth guards (notably the "NTI") are made to snap on to your front teeth and prevent your molars from touching, even if you bite down. The theory here is that the NTI will feel so different than a normal bite that your mind will know (even subconsciously) that something is wrong, and it is not safe to bite down. Sometimes that works. In the cases when it does not work, biting down on a front-tooth-only guard such as the NTI can misalign your jaw and do serious damage.
Fortunately, there are a lot more possible ways to interrupt a habit than just sticking a mouth guard in your mouth. Some of them are free to try, some are moderately expensive to try, and some are very expensive to try. Some have money-back guarantees, and some do not. Various methods that people have successfully used to kick the teeth grinding and clenching habit include: biofeedback, hypnosis, changing sleep surface, changing pillow, soothing sound machines, chiropractic work, massage, diet changes, meditation, and other positive psychology practices.
Interestingly, the mouth guards sold by dentists are not only among the most expensive possible solutions you can try for teeth grinding and clenching, they are also among the options with no free trial, and no guarantee whatsoever. This is a great deal for your dentist, but not a great deal for you. Trying an over-the-counter mouth guard from a pharmacy that you can mold yourself may be a better first step.
So what does it take to kick the habit of tooth grinding and clenching? As you might suspect from thinking about other habits (such as smoking, over-eating, drinking, or nail biting), the answer is different for different people. The "solution" that most dentists currently recommend is a custom-made mouth guard.
The custom mouth guards that dentists recommend come in many varieties, most costing between $500 and $800. There is strong disagreement between dentists on which is the "best" type of mouth guard to use. Some are made by vacuum-molding a hot thin sheet of plastic over a plaster replica of your upper teeth. Some cast acrylic, made in a mold made from an impression of both your upper and lower teeth.
It's not unusual for people to follow their dentist's advice and plunk down between $500 and $800 for a custom-made mouth guard. Once you put out the big bucks, you get to find out if you are someone whose nighttime clenching gets worse or better when you wear your custom mouth guard.
"Now just a minute" you might say, "are you telling me my clenching problem could actually get worse?" Yes, unfortunately it could. The problem is that although mouth guards keep your tooth enamel from being worn away, they don't necessarily make you clench less. Some people's teeth grinding and clenching habit is such that when they are asleep, a mouth guard feels like an annoyance to be chewed through rather than a reminder to relax.
Most mouth guards go between your upper and lower molars, preventing upper tooth enamel from touching lower tooth enamel, and spreading the load if you clench your teeth. The load-spreading idea is that if you keep clenching, the mouth guard will help you do less damage. Sometimes this may work. Unfortunately in some cases the damage done can be significantly worse with a mouth guard.
Some mouth guards (notably the "NTI") are made to snap on to your front teeth and prevent your molars from touching, even if you bite down. The theory here is that the NTI will feel so different than a normal bite that your mind will know (even subconsciously) that something is wrong, and it is not safe to bite down. Sometimes that works. In the cases when it does not work, biting down on a front-tooth-only guard such as the NTI can misalign your jaw and do serious damage.
Fortunately, there are a lot more possible ways to interrupt a habit than just sticking a mouth guard in your mouth. Some of them are free to try, some are moderately expensive to try, and some are very expensive to try. Some have money-back guarantees, and some do not. Various methods that people have successfully used to kick the teeth grinding and clenching habit include: biofeedback, hypnosis, changing sleep surface, changing pillow, soothing sound machines, chiropractic work, massage, diet changes, meditation, and other positive psychology practices.
Interestingly, the mouth guards sold by dentists are not only among the most expensive possible solutions you can try for teeth grinding and clenching, they are also among the options with no free trial, and no guarantee whatsoever. This is a great deal for your dentist, but not a great deal for you. Trying an over-the-counter mouth guard from a pharmacy that you can mold yourself may be a better first step.
About the Author:
Monitor your nighttime clenching with the SleepGuard EMG measurement headband. It is the perfect way to study the effectiveness of different things you try in your desire to kick the teeth grinding and clenching habit. Used in biofeedback mode, the SleepGuard headband can be used with or without hypnosis to help you severley reduce or eliminate your nighttime teeth grinding and clenching.
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