Mouth guard for jaw clenching - Any experience?

Hi, I'm new here,

I'm to be fitted for a mouth guard at the dentist's in early January for jaw clenching / Temporo Mandibular Joint issues.

Apparently they used to be fitted on the upper teeth, but state-of-the-art practice is to fit them on the lower teeth.
I assume you only wear it at night.

Does any one here use one? Or tried one without success?
Thanks for your feedback!

SR

I was an older teenager when I was first fitted for an appliance to help with my TMJ at the time. It really helped me and I felt great relief. I did also follow the diet modifications as well, which also helped. I went for about 10 years without wearing anything and I did notice a difference when I went back to wearing it. I can't sleep without it now. My dentist had to do a bit of reconstructive work on my teeth from me not wearing something on them at night. My jaw and my teeth do not hurt in the morning now that I have been wearing it regularly again for about 5 years now. I don't find that these appliances have any effect on my headaches though, they just help my jaw and facial pain. They also preserve teeth.

Hi Jilly,
that sounds great

I've never heard of any diet modifications related to this issue.

Can you explain what they were and how they are meant to help?

Thanks!

I was about 14 when my doctor/dentist explained them all to me. Simply put I had to give my jaw a big break. I was not allowed to chew gum or have anything that worked my jaw muscles too much. Steak was out. If I did eat it I had to cut it into itty bitty pieces and make sure it was very very tender. I also could not eat apples whole. I still don't. I carry a pocket knife around and cut them up into small pieces. You don't want your mouth/jaw stretched wide open like you would to bite the apple. I also never eat taffy or chewy candy for the same reasons, because those things would work the jaw. I want to avoid those things as much as possible. I hope you can get the idea.

Hi Jilly,

thanks for explaining - that makes sense!

I'm not really sure that it's "that bad" that I need to shift to eating softer foods, but who knows.

I basically clench my teeth a LOT, so my jaw muscles are pretty tense and sore and my Dr thinks that this contributes to the migraines.

I had a great cranial massage the other week and the PT noticed my tight jaw muscles too and said "I'll just run and get some surgical gloves, just a moment..." - I'm laying on the massage table thinking "What the heck?!" and she's back 60 seconds later, is putting on a pair of these surgical gloves saying "Right, I'm just going to massage your jaw muscles from inside your mouth now..." - I stared at her wide eyed, asking "Are you serious?!?!" and nearly fell of the table from surprise.

But yep, she was - and yep, it helped... She suggested a dentist who specialises in making mouth guards, so I guess I'll see how it goes. You need a series of appt's it seems, so I should have it finished by the end of January.

I'm not getting my hopes up too high, having now read in a TMJ Forum that for many ppl the mouth guard doesn't work at all or even makes things worse - so it doesn't sound like it's an easy/ guaranteed fix.... (poop!)

Wishing you good luck and all the best for your jaw!

SR

Sometimes I wake up with a bad pain in my jaw. I suspect it happens when I have been clenching my teeth. I get migraine-like pain in the jaw and side of the face. I call this a "jaw-graine." I've found that the same medications that help my migraines help this too.

Hi All
I spent the first half of 2012 with a "dental appliance" for TMJ. I had a complete work-up which included a CT of head and neck and 3D modeling of my jaw. Molds were made and after shelling out $1500 I started wearing the device. I grind my teeth when I sleep and clench my jaw while I was at work (stressing out in front of a computer for 10 hours a day). After about 8 months, the resident "Prosthedontist" I was seeing told me that he didn't think it was TMJ. There was no change (or relief) in my headaches. The faculty of the orthodontic school however, told me that a mere appliance would not fix my problem and he wanted to insert expanders into both my upper and lower teeth and then move my jaw around with braces, headgear, etc. Of course this treatment would cost an additional $3000 and there was no assurance that it would resolve my headaches. In fact, there was still a question on whether my headaches were caused by TMJ or by migraine.

The appliance finally cracked and I threw it in the garbage. I didn't go back to the prosthedontists. I now wear a plastic mouth guard that I bought at the drug store ($30 for 2) when I sleep. It helps with the teeth grinding and jaw clenching. But I still have daily headaches and migraine.

Moral of story:
Be careful of what dentists tell you. I would start with the drug-store mouth guard first to see if it helps. I'm not convinced that expensive, custom made dental appliances are warranted for the treatment of migraine. I felt a bit ripped-off by the whole experience and it didn't help me a bit.

I agree with Lepoppet. I got a dentist-made appliance after she told me my teeth showed wear from clenching in my sleep and I needed one. Well, it was expensive, painful, and it made it so I couldn't close my mouth while sleeping. This made it difficult to sleep, which caused more headaches, not fewer. In the end I stopped using it and just used relaxation and awareness to help me stop clenching in my sleep.

I do not use a specific TMJ appliance for myself. My dentist made up a custom fit night guard to the thickness that I specified. This is just for the grinding, to provide cushion, and to protect the teeth. I just get him to make me a new one each time they wear out. The one I had made up for me when I was a teenager was made specific for TMJ. The only thing I found really hard about using that one was it changed my jaw alignment at night, so in the morning when I removed it I was rather uncomfortable for a long time. I remember just wanting to wear that thing all the time because the change was so drastic and I couldn't stand the change. I really like the type my current dentist makes for me.

I'm gonna have to research TMJ now...!

All I know is that I have really tense jaw muscles from clenching at night (and during the day) and that my Dr. thinks that may contribute to my migraines...

I have no idea of whether I hae "TMJ" as such... I thought that the clenching / grinding etc were all "TMJ" issues....

As far as I know I'm just getting a normal dental made appliance against clenching. I may have to pay a small gap out of pocket, but no more than 50 Euros....

Thanks for your responses!!

Have you looked at this device:

http://www.chairsidesplint.com/HeadachePrevention.html

My dentist, who fits this device, checked me out to see if it would help me with my chronic headaches. After the exam, he said that it would not help me.

The inventor of the device, Dr James Boyd, dentist, is or was a member of a team of headache experts, in a headache clinic in Southern California. I think his web site, has dentists who are experienced in using the device.

Martin

Hahaha - oh lord...
When that page opens up, there's a picture of a woman with a HUGE wooden vise thingee on her head - for a looong moment there, I thought THAT was the device!! And I was like: there is NO WAY I'm wearing something as huge as that on my head every night....