|
|
|
|
"NOYB" wrote in message
...
"*JimH*" wrote in message
...
Can you offer some advice?
I grind my teeth at night and my canines are now ground past the enamel.
This was confirmed today during my checkup and teeth cleaning.
My dentist is suggesting getting fitted with a mouth guard.
I tried that years ago but it was uncomfortable to wear....it was custom
fit but came out like the mouth guard you wear for physical contact
sports. I could not sleep with it....too bulky and suffocating for me.
This old mouthguard no longer fits as I have had 2 or 3 teeth capped
since it was made so modifications to it may not be possible.
Although insurance will pay for a new guard I have heard commercials
about a drugstore brand you can buy (not the sports type) that is
supposedly just as effective.
The drugstore brands work, but they're going to be bulkier and will wear
out more quickly than the others. They also don't create proper canine
and anterior guidance and can be tough on the TMJ.
Here's the one that I make (Comfort H/S Bite Splint):
http://www.glidewell-lab.com/pdf/bro...tguard_bro.pdf
After it comes back from the lab, I spend about 20 minutes balancing the
occlusion.
For patients who don't want a full-coverage bite guard, I make them an
NTI. It fits over the front 2-4 teeth and has a discluding element that
subconscioulsy triggers an opening response when you bite down on it while
you're sleeping The NTI is especially effective for patients with TMJ
pain or bruxism-induced migraine headaches. Here's the link to the NTI:
http://www.headacheprevention.com/pages/whatisit.html
The reason you're bruxing could be from stress...or it could be from those
worn canines. Once they're worn, your back teeth grind on each other when
you grind side to side, which actually exacerbates the tendency to grind.
Your mouth is trying to grind itself into a more comfortable bite. It's
important to re-establish canine guidance (aka--cuspid rise) to prevent
premature wear on the back teeth. This can be done with veneers or
crowns.
Thanks!
|