Hi ,at the moment the attacks are getting severe ,and wen I grind my teeth it gets even worst ,I was given a plastic brace but that don’t seem to help ,does any of u have that problem,and wat do u do ,
YES — I do. I've been through 2 different styles of guards in the last year. I currently sleep with one called an NTI that I love and it has completely stopped me from clenching my teeth at night and has really helped my pain but it was severely change my bite so now I have an "open bite" .... here is what my teeth looked like before and after.
Hi Zahirra,
I am so sorry that you are in such awful pain. My dentist made a nightguard for me because I have had a number of fractured teeth (I was hit by a car and landed on my head). It is a device that nearly covers all of my upper teeth. One thing that has helped me was to have the dentist make adjustments to it so that it fits perfectly. Whenever I have an appointment, I bring it along and he checks it for me. Sometimes a small adjustment can make a huge difference. Another thing that helps to always warm the guard with hot water before I put it in. This way, it doesn't aggravate my teeth at all when I insert it.
I have found physical therapy to be very beneficial as well. Doing the jaw stretches and various exercises has helped the muscles to relax, which has lead to a reduction in my pain levels. It might be worth a shot, if that is an avenue you are interested in exploring.
I hope this helps. I will be sending you good thoughts in the hopes that you feel better very soon.
Take care,
Chris
I do but I don't have a bite guard because insurance wouldn't cover it and I didn't have the money at the time. I tried an over the counter one but I couldn't keep it in my mouth any better than I could keep my retainer in when I was in college. I was diagnosed with TMJ long before TN. My husband swears by his bite guard and he isn't a TN sufferer.
I do jaw exercises of various sorts to stretch. Simply opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue repeatedly helps. I don't recommend doing this in a public place, but try this for a while. Even if you only do it five times twice a day. It takes about 10 seconds. It has helped me.
Mary
I do and have found that a OTC guard made by DenTek (it is clear and you drop it in boiling water for a period of time and them place in your mouth, bite down, it forms to your teeth). It was too painful for me to wear when I developed TN2, but my dentist suggested that I cut off the sides and just use it on my front teeth, it cover 6 teeth. It keeps my back teeth from touching each other. Works pretty well. Btw, I found them on Amazon.com(DenTek Custom Comfort Nightguard) I really hope this helps.
Mary, I sometimes secretly do jaw stretches in public, by pretending to yawn, and such. Sometimes I do them in the dark in movie theaters too. Even if someone sees me, I'd rather have some stranger think I'm eccentric than be in pain. :)
On a related note, one thing my physical therapist taught me was not to open my mouth too wide, because that can cause other problems, so it's a good idea to be gentle while stretching.
Zahirra, I do hope you are feeling better.
Take care,
Chris
i have that same problem when it happens i instanly wake up. I never realized i did it until i go tn and its the worse when u do it without knowing. It happens to me every morning