Bruxism, teeth grinding

Post Reply New Topic

I'm 29 and I still do it frequently. It is not good for my teeth. I have only lost one teeth due to breakage thanks to eating Jordan almonds over 12 years ago. It was filled once, but broke again a few years ago, and it was never repaired until last year when it got infected a bit and I had to get it removed. Other than that, most of my teeth are in good condition, AFAIK. I bet you the dentist will disagree, ha.

And I'm typing here while I'm chewing off the remnant of a jordan almond. I just bought a box of it for the first time in over a year. I guess I'm asking for trouble here!

Through the years I have done it a lot - I think mostly as a way of stimming. I especially grind my teeth to rhythms, and when I was a child, I simulated percussion rhythms from music by clacking my teeth, which is probably what has resulted in me having a very accurate ear for rhythms in general, always knowing when the beats are on or off, and able to count the beats of music that goes silent and then begins again. Most people seem to lose track of music when that happens.

I grind my teeth. I used to do it during the day when I was a kid when I was really stressed or anxious. I believe I only do it at night now. I think I also put a lot of pressure on them at night if I'm not grinding them. I sometimes wake up and my bottom front teeth feel numb. Those two teeth are pretty much destroyed. They'll fall out within a year or two I'm sure.

I do it big time if I'm under stress. I can wake people up in the next room. It gives me migraines. I have a bite guard.

I have tried the bite guard... I absolutely hate these things. Sure, it will help with bruxism, but it feels soooooo in the way, too distracting. There's no way I can ever get a good night's sleep with these.

It's almost shocking, as a person newly realizing Asperger's, how many things we have in common with each other (but differently so, from NT people).

Yes! I've been a night grinder all my life that I know of. So severely that although I've only had 1 or 2 cavities in my life, I have all crowns on my front teeth, plus several molars, and I need a half dozen more. All due to crumbled off enamel. And my jaw muscles look like a doberman's. I've tried all the night guards, and I wear them out in a few days.

Charles

Grinding my teeth was one of my earliest stims. My parents didn't know about AS at the time and kept presuring me to stop it; only making me do it more. I think I stopped it when they finnaly stoped pressuring and when I found other stims.

Quite badly actually... I had it pretty well taken care of when i was a teen in high school. However events of the past while OR the drugs to deal with those said events, brought it back.
I actually think it was brought back with a drug that I was given for anxiety (and oddly is used off label to treat bruxism and TMJ, which I also suffer from) called Buspar.

I try to notice when i do it now... and instead of "grinding" i just clench.... and/or try not to do it all together, though that usually doesn't work.

a lot of people are saying they did it when they were younger and ive done it for a long time but im slowly starting to do it less often. i was just curious at what age did they start to see it decline

For me, I still have this issue every day, but I started to be more conscious about it when I was 19 and staying at my grandma's house while I attended college near her home - she mentioned that I ground my teeth while sleeping. At first, I didn't believe her, of course - but eventually I came to notice that I did it almost all the time. I have managed to lessen it somewhat, but most of the times it's involuntary. Only when I realize I am doing it, most of the times I'll stop it consciously. The other times, well - if I am extremely agitated or stressful, I'll leave it be for a little while.

My front teeth seems to be fine, although I need to brush them more often, sadly. I need to get one of these special teeth whitening thing at dentists to brighten my teeth up.

I'm afraid no decline in my case. Just a lot more crowns to grind on .

Charles

I had just now done a google search to finally begin to investigate the reasons why I might be gritting my teeth when I pet my cat - I have always done it, but recently, it started to puzzle me, and I am AMAZED that I've found here and elsewhere on the internet posts from other people who do the same thing! Isn't it curious?
Thanks to you and others for sharing experiences; I feel a lot better about it now that I know it isn't a completely individual problem.

Happy New Year, all!

Knickerbocker

I only clench my teeth tightly in my sleep when I have eaten something to which I am severely allergic (This is also when my sensory problems are the worst as well).

Oh, wait...I do clench my teeth tightly when I am awake, but only if I have eaten something I am allergic to or am having a reaction to a strong perfume....

Yes. Quite often. My teeth are very worn and I have seven crowns from cracking teeth. I commonly wake up with migraine headaches from all the clenching and grinding at night.

I tried a night guard once. I chewed through it in a week. An expensive, very short solution.

I never had this problem at night, but I used to grind my teeth as a kid during daytime as a stim. I have a friend who has bruxism and has to wear a bite guard. I don't think she has any problems with wearing it.

I grind at night and my young son does it during the day as a pleasurable stim. I've cracked two teeth out of my head from this bruxism and am worried for my son and what long term damage he is doing to his teeth and jaw.

The only thing that helps me is the mouth guard, which you can buy quite cheaply and mold yourself. It can take a couple tries to get it right (you have to boil it in a pot of water, cool it briefly, bite down on it to shape. You can even trim the back bits off if they are poking the back of your gums), but it's worth it to save your teeth. That's for those who grind at night. Nothing I know of can solve the daytime grinding. The Doctor's Night Guard (Classic) is the best I've found. It's about $10 on amazon. You might go through three or four a year, but it's still cheaper than all the dental work, and definitely helps with the facial pain and hearing loss.