[Help] Mouth guards at night to stop grinding teeth

[Durlston]

My NHS dentist has fitted me with a gum shield type of device to stop my teeth grinding at night which has worn them down gradually in the last 20 years or so. I've used it for three nights in a row now but keep waking up regularly wondering WTF is going on! The tightness round the gums can feel very strange. I feel tired in the daytime. Does anyone on here use them and if so, how long did it take to get used to them before a proper night's sleep? (right through). After paying £90 I can't afford to throw in the towel and go back to tenderness in my teeth in the mornings.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[raymondo]

I had one fitted a few years back, after having aching teeth at the back - my dentist suspected grinding (!). Mine was quite thin, and I don't remember feeling pressure on the gums. It took just a few nights to get used to it. It's all a bit of a mix I reckon: shape of mouth, teeth alignment, thickness of gum shield etc. After a month I didn't need it any more ... which perhaps suggests it wasn't grinding?

 

[METALMICKY]

You are a nocturnal bruxist! Get the dentist to check the fit of the guard and if fine it is simply a question of letting your teeth adjust.

 

[Weezle]

I use one too. Took me about a week to get used to. Now I find it hard to sleep without it!

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[Cheeky Monkey]

Couldn’t get on with mine, only used it once or twice, although I think my grinding diagnosis (early 90s) was possibly more to do with my raving lifestyle at the time and associated consumption. My rear molars are totally surface smooth and have been for decades but it’s never been an issue.

 

[Simgull]

I use one too. Took me about a week to get used to. Now I find it hard to sleep without it!

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This.

Maybe worth going back to the dentist and re-checking the fit. Mine was a bit uncomfortable when I tried it and the dentist ground some of the guard down to improve the fit.

 

[Horses Arse]

My NHS dentist has fitted me with a gum shield type of device to stop my teeth grinding at night which has worn them down gradually in the last 20 years or so. I've used it for three nights in a row now but keep waking up regularly wondering WTF is going on! The tightness round the gums can feel very strange. I feel tired in the daytime. Does anyone on here use them and if so, how long did it take to get used to them before a proper night's sleep? (right through). After paying £90 I can't afford to throw in the towel and go back to tenderness in my teeth in the mornings.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

I have to use one, have ground my teeth really flat and now have to protect an implant (tooth, not tits). It took a while, week or two and now feels odd not wearing it.

If it feels that bad it may need adjustment, needs to be tight to avoid choking on it I guess but shouldn't cause that much discomfort.

 

[Argartu]

I'm a bruxist, IMO the NHS provided mouthguards are shite, too soft for me I need a hard plastic one. Unfortunately that variety is only available if you go private.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

My misses paid more than that, it kept popping out and now she's lost it ffs

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[AmexRuislip]

Got mine through Denplan (as I must've resembled a cash cow), after she described moi a a grinder.
Couldn't get on with it, especially at night where it felt like I had a brillo in my mouth, waste of time IMO.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Just take your teeth out and pop them in a glass.

 

[Durlston]

I have to use one, have ground my teeth really flat and now have to protect an implant (tooth, not tits). It took a while, week or two and now feels odd not wearing it.

If it feels that bad it may need adjustment, needs to be tight to avoid choking on it I guess but shouldn't cause that much discomfort.

It was fitted beforehand by biting hard on what felt like jelly so I feel as though it will fit like a glove no problem, given some time. It's the tightness in the night on my gums when my mouth goes dry and trying to get the shield off in the morning! I've learnt not to smell it!

I'm going to persevere with the guard and like you say, after a while it would feel odd without it.

Thanks for everyone's help and contributions.

 

[rigton70]

Out of interest do you smoke weed??

I had this problem when i smoked it 10 or so years ago.

 

[AmexRuislip]

Just take your teeth out and pop them in a glass.

Or as [MENTION=750]swindonseagull[/MENTION] does, FedEx his choppers to his local dentist

 

[BN9 BHA]

My misses paid more than that, it kept popping out and now she's lost it ffs

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It’s under the bed.

 

[Questions]

It’s under the bed.

He’s right.

 

[Official Old Man]

What a strange thread. I thought it was just me, but it seems 100's wear these things. Even better, mine was free! Young dentist fitted one for me and said it was a gift from the NHS. For years I had teeth that just weren't right. He said I grind them and suddenly everything came together, of course I do.
Mine fitted perfect although in the morning, because I'm not grinding my teeth, one of the front lowers seems to be sticking forward a bit.

Question of the day. Can you put your lower jaw teeth in front of your upper teeth. Tommy Cooper could and it looked weird.

 

[timbha]

Wore mine for a few days and it was uncomfortably tight and made my mouth so dry I couldn’t sleep. Dentist chopped a bit off and it’s not so tight now. But my mouth is so dry I can’t sleep. I tried using it for an hour at a time. It’s now been slung to the back of a draw, redundant.

 

[Bry Nylon]

It’s under the bed.

Well it’s definitely not in the wardrobe

 

[dsr-burnley]

Just take your teeth out and pop them in a glass.

Top set and bottom set in separate glasses, presumably. Or they'll keep doing it.