Night Guards and Sensory Issues...Ahhh!

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EstherJ
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12 Jun 2012, 1:12 am

Ok, so apparently I have mild TMJ problems.

Or it could be Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - my doctor thinks I have that and might be having jaw issues because of it.

Anyway. The dentist and oral surgeon recommend a night guard.
Now, I have HORRIBLE trouble sleeping at night. Sensory issues, racing thoughts, you name it. On top of that I have to sleep with my knees wrapped, which is uncomfortable, because I run the risk of dislocating a kneecap by rolling on it.

So now they want to introduce a night guard??? Insurance doesn't even cover it.

Are they uncomfortable? Will they mess with sensory integration crap? Does anyone have experience with mouth guards at night?

Thanks.



iggy64
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12 Jun 2012, 10:51 am

I personally don't currently own or use a night guard, although at some point in the future I will have a retainer, once my braces are off. (yeah, an aspie who is scared of dentists has braces.... Fun, right?[/sarcasm]) anyway, I had a lot of similar thoughts that you are having about a night guard as I had with the concept of sleeping in one, and how it would feel, if it would hurt and if it would choke me, etc.
I asked a friend about some of this, as she had had braces a few years ago. She told me about her retainer (which is worn at night like a night guard) which she didn't like, particularly. She said it didn't cause her discomfort, just made her teeth and tongue feel weird.
However, she isn't an AS person, and doesn't have the same kind of senses as us really. I don't want to be a pessimist, but I expect it will be hard to get sleep on the first few nights that you use a night guard, at least it would be for me, if I had one. Either way, I'm sure that given some time the experience will at the least become bearable :D


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Venger
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12 Jun 2012, 11:59 pm

I have a custom bite-guard I wear while sleeping to protect my teeth. My insurance paid for it which makes sense since it protects my teeth from having problems that could be more expensive than the cost of the bite-guard itself. After you wear it every night for a week or so it feels normal, and you don't really notice it anymore.



Gazelle
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13 Jun 2012, 8:38 pm

EstherJ wrote:
Ok, so apparently I have mild TMJ problems.

Or it could be Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - my doctor thinks I have that and might be having jaw issues because of it.

Anyway. The dentist and oral surgeon recommend a night guard.
Now, I have HORRIBLE trouble sleeping at night. Sensory issues, racing thoughts, you name it. On top of that I have to sleep with my knees wrapped, which is uncomfortable, because I run the risk of dislocating a kneecap by rolling on it.

So now they want to introduce a night guard??? Insurance doesn't even cover it.

Are they uncomfortable? Will they mess with sensory integration crap? Does anyone have experience with mouth guards at night?

Thanks.

No if you get nightguard the proper size then it should be comfortable and my mum wears one since she grinds teeth.


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