Teeth Grinding, what's up with that?

meyowtime
meyowtime Posts: 42 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been consistently eating right for about 6 weeks now. I have no cravings, no intense hunger but I do have one strange adverse reaction to this change. I've been grinding my teeth in my sleep A LOT (to the point that they are sore during the day). I also find that my teeth/jaw has been naturally clenching during the day. Anyone else experiencing this or have any insight into what that's about?

Replies

  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    i grind teeth horribly bad at night when i am really stressed out. i used to do it every night when i was with my exhusband, along with many nightmares. after he left, the grinding almost totally went away, along with the nightmares. i still grind, but not nearly as often as i used to. sometimes i grind to the point i wake myself up and even after waking, i still grind and crack my teeth together. i wore a mouth guard like sports players wear to bed for a while but it was too big and bulky. i want to get a custom one but my insurance dows not cover it.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    I used to grind my teeth at night due to stress. It wore down my teeth a bit, and would wake my husband up (we were dating at the time, this was when I was in my 20's). I didn't know that I did it until my husband told me and my dentist was also noticing it. But, once I knew, I managed my stress to stop it. I also told my husband to wake me up whenever I did it. I wear retainers on my teeth at night (not a mouth guard).
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
    Are you taking anything for weight loss? Speedy type appetite suppressants might also cause this. Maybe even an increase in caffeinated beverages or supplements with caffeine in them can.
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    I grind my teeth as well, and I didn't know about it until I started going to a new dentist and he recommended I get a mouth guard. Some of the tops of my teeth have worn flat. The tension in my jaw and neck from doing this does cause migraines for me on occasion if I forget to put my mouth guard in.

    If you cannot get a mouth guard from the dentist, you can get them from the pharmacy. I have seen them in the oral care section.
    Usually it just fits over the upper teeth and is soft.
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    I've been consistently eating right for about 6 weeks now. I have no cravings, no intense hunger but I do have one strange adverse reaction to this change. I've been grinding my teeth in my sleep A LOT (to the point that they are sore during the day). I also find that my teeth/jaw has been naturally clenching during the day. Anyone else experiencing this or have any insight into what that's about?

    it's stress related. visit your dentist, make sure you have not ground down some of your teeth. i went through this planning my wedding. dentist fitted me with a night guard. you don't want to end up with TMJ.
  • KimD226
    KimD226 Posts: 1
    I wish I could tell you the cause of your teeth grinding, but I can't. I can't even find the cause of MY teeth grinding during sleep. There is however, like LossingMyLast said, something you can do. You can get a night guard to protect your teeth. I used to get mine from my dentist, but it gets really expensive (like $500). You can get the same night guard directly from the dental lab. This post have been helpful to me when it came to choosing which lab to order from: http://www.cureyourbruxism.com/top-online-dental-labs-custom-night-guards/
    Good luck!
  • tacticalhippie
    tacticalhippie Posts: 596 Member
    Stress and caffeine caused mine.

    I bought a cheap mold-able mouth guard at walmart for $15-ish
  • Ideabaker
    Ideabaker Posts: 531 Member
    Does anyone know if dental night guards stop the actual bruxism, or do they just protect the teeth as we grind away?
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Two reasons i can think of:
    Your bite (how your teeth meet) is off?
    You are having IBS type symptoms?

    I wear an orthodontic piece at night so mine are protected post braces.
  • UncreativeMe123
    UncreativeMe123 Posts: 52 Member
    I grind as well, and wear a guard at night to help with TMJ disorder. Don't take my word for it (I'm no expert), and this wasn't the case with me, but I've read that magnesium deficiency can contribute to bruxism. Have you looked into any possible nutritional causes?
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
    I don't know much about teeth grinding with the exception of seeing the results in drug addicted friends who are now in various stages of recovery. Maybe try to write down or seek to find out what preempts the tooth grinding. Stress/tension? You'll want to get a handle on this before your dentist does.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
    I grind when I'm completely stressed and feeling a lot of anxiety. The mouth guards don't stop it, I have holes worn in my top retainer from adult braces.

    This may be completely unrelated but I was undiagnosed bipolar II and stopped grinding once they finally got my meds right. I do notice that I start again when my stress is higher than usual or there is something I am not dealing with. Are you cutting out certain foods and maybe feeling stressed over that? I only suggest that because a small change like that can stress me more than usual, or when I don't feed my cravings and they kind of keep brewing. Not a great analogy but all I can think of at 11:35 at night.
  • cottonta1l
    cottonta1l Posts: 33 Member
    Do you have an anxiety problem? I do and I grind my teeth when I'm anxious. I looked it up a while ago because I was sick of getting headaches from clenching my jaw and found that it's not uncommon to grind your teeth when stressed/anxious.

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