New from Connecticut

[Ro3bert]

I've recently had a mouthful of work done (not dentures), 6 root canals, three or four crowns and numerous fillings. I also recently had my lower incisors removed and a bridge installed (well, installed isn't quite the right word) that had a problem that is being addressed (free, long story).

Since I got the bridge I have developed teeth grinding. The problem is I don't do it at night while sleeping but during the day.
A couple of days ago I had to go in to have the permanent crown put in. While there I mentioned the grinding situation to the dentist and asked what to do. Of course an anti-grinding appliance is not a solution, I knew that already and was hoping she (the dentist) what could be possibly done.

The dentist was a young girl who I thought was just out of her residency. She kinda blew me off with a superior smile and informed me that there was nothing that could be done for daytime grinding.

My hope someone has had the same situation and has had the good a satisfactory solution given them. The problem, of course is a full appliance would have to be removed any time one wanted to eat or drink.

So I hope someone can help me with something more than a shrug, smile and a cursory auf wiedersehen baby.

Thanks for any help, Robert

 

[Great Lakes Dental]

Hi Ro3bert,

Daytime Bruxism (aka: grinding) is common, however it's unusual that it could originate or be triggered by dental work. Nevertheless, you have two options: Address the cause or manage the symptoms.

For many people suffering from Daytime Bruxism, the root cause is stress or some other form of cognitive trigger. Studies have shown Bruxism can be an entirely natural human response to stress (and stress can be caused by any number of things). Therefore the first step is to gain awareness by recognizing when you start grinding. (What time was it? Where were you? What were doing? What were you thinking about? Who were you with?) Keep records. Attempt to isolate the environment or pattern whereby you experience the grinding. Once you've gained awareness, you'll need to work on training yourself to stop through the use of behavioural aversion techniques. Try it on your own. In complex cases, professional assistance from a mental health expert could be required.

Option 2: Treat the symptoms. This can be done through the purchase of an extra-thin acrylic mouth guard. Since these products are not overly common, you may need to search around for a dental clinic that offers the service. Daytime mouth guards are so thin that they typically don't affect speech and are (nearly) unnoticeable when worn. Of course, you would need to remove it every time you wanted to consume food or drinks.

Regardless of which option you choose, failing to address the issue will result in further degradation of your enamel, lead to headaches & jaw pain and possibly necessitate further dental work (to repair broken & cracked teeth).

Hope this helps and best of luck.

Warm regards,

Dr. Jennifer Thomm
Cosmetic Dentist
Great Lakes Dental
Sarnia, Ontario Canada

 

[Ro3bert]

Hi Ro3bert,

Daytime Bruxism (aka: grinding) is common, however it's unusual that it could originate or be triggered by dental work. Nevertheless, you have two options: Address the cause or manage the symptoms.

For many people suffering from Daytime Bruxism, the root cause is stress or some other form of cognitive trigger. Studies have shown Bruxism can be an entirely natural human response to stress (and stress can be caused by any number of things). Therefore the first step is to gain awareness by recognizing when you start grinding. (What time was it? Where were you? What were doing? What were you thinking about? Who were you with?) Keep records. Attempt to isolate the environment or pattern whereby you experience the grinding. Once you've gained awareness, you'll need to work on training yourself to stop through the use of behavioural aversion techniques. Try it on your own. In complex cases, professional assistance from a mental health expert could be required.

Option 2: Treat the symptoms. This can be done through the purchase of an extra-thin acrylic mouth guard. Since these products are not overly common, you may need to search around for a dental clinic that offers the service. Daytime mouth guards are so thin that they typically don't affect speech and are (nearly) unnoticeable when worn. Of course, you would need to remove it every time you wanted to consume food or drinks.

Regardless of which option you choose, failing to address the issue will result in further degradation of your enamel, lead to headaches & jaw pain and possibly necessitate further dental work (to repair broken & cracked teeth).

Hope this helps and best of luck.

Warm regards,

Dr. Jennifer Thomm
Cosmetic Dentist
Great Lakes Dental
Sarnia, Ontario Canada

Thanks, Jen, I'll look into it further.