Who else wears a night guard?

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
I started a few months ago & I absolutely HATE it! It is SO uncomfortable. But I feel like I have no choice b/c I keep waking up at 2-3 am with pieces of teeth rolling around in my mouth. :eek:

Mine is for my upper teeth & I've heard the ones for the lower teeth are more comfortable. Is this true? Any other advice on how to make it easier?
 
It only took me a few days to get used to mine. I also have an upper teeth guard. I think you should take it back to your dentist and complain. It shouldn't take months to get used to your mouth guard.
Lorrayne
 
Hi LauraMax,

I have worn a night guard for 10 years to keep me from grinding my teeth when I am asleep. Don't feel bad if it takes a while to get used to it - it took me a year!!!!

I just really hated it at first. I worried that I would swallow it. I even took it out in my sleep and put it under my pillow!!! It also makes me drool - lots of fun to wake up too.

But finally I started making myself use it at least for a while every night. Eventually I got used to it. And it's worth it to still have my teeth 10 years later!

Carolyn
 
I've been using one for about 2 1/2 years. It is wonderful! I don't have broken teeth and headaches all the time like I used to. I wish I had gotten one 20 years ago and maybe my teeth wouldn't cost me so much to fix now. The one I have is hard material and goes on the top. It took about a week to get comfortable with it. The dentist told me to wear it for an hour or two before bed for the first few days to get used to it.

I got one in the late 90's that was soft and went on the bottom teeth. I chewed through it in a month. I went back to the dentist and they replaced it with a hard one for no charge. I could never get comfortable with the one on the bottom and my top teeth would still hurt in the morning.
 
I've worn one for several years. My first one went all the way around my top teeth and I really really hated it. It made me gag, and I would also remove it during the night in my sleep without realizing it. It also made me drool a lot until I got used to it.

Last year I got an NTI device, which fits on only the front teeth. It stays on very snugly, and keeps me from biting down on my back teeth at all. (You can get one for upper or lower, but I wear it on the upper.) It is much better for me because it doesn't go all the way to the back. I still don't love having to wear it, but I like it better than the old one. The only concern my dentist has is that with my overbite, she says we have to keep an eye on my bite changing over time because of the pressure I am putting on my upper front teeth. Hopefully I'm not moving them!
 
Wow - my dentist is trying to get me to get one. I'm reluctant. I have TMJ pretty bad (it's been worse again lately). I think I lock my jaw in my sleep, he thinks I grind. It popped up last fall when my jaw really got screwed up - I couldn't eat anything except liquids, mashed potatoes and yogurt for two or three weeks. Maybe I should get one. hmmm
Did your insurance pay for it? That's my big hesitation - they're expensive and I don't want to pay for it.
 
I don't have insurance, so I can't say, and it was pretty expensive. But it really has helped my jaw. And I don't get daily tension headaches anymore from clenching my jaw all night.

I have the same feeling as you...I think I clench my jaw all night, and my dentist thinks I'm grinding. I have cracked a couple of teeth that already had fillings in them, but luckily have never broken any altogether.

Obviously, I can't say for sure, but I think it probably would help your jaw if you wore one. (And believe me, I would give mine up in a heartbeat if I thought it wasn't working. I still don't like wearing it, but it's a necessary evil.)
 
I got a nightguard to replace a retainer after braces. I wear a lower retainer with a nightguard upper. the first one I couldn't wear. could not close my mouth on the monster. it felt like I was holding my mouth open like at the dentist office. took it back.
I got braces after that. when they came off my dentist sugested a new nightguard for protection from grinding. this time it came they spent a hour grinding off the high parts that bothered me and it's been fine since. a picky process at the time but it's extremely comfy now.... just like grinding off the high spots on a new crown or filling to fine tune the fit. My insurance covers at 50%, it's around $700 for a new one. If it fits you should be used to it in a couple nights.
 
I've worn an upper one from the dentist for a few years. I also have TMJ (but not as bad as the previous poster! Never had it lock on me! Ouch!). I stopped wearing it for a few months recently, and got some pretty intense headaches. And now I'm thinking that's why!! So I started wearing it again. I do feel it, but it's definitely worth the no headaches. when I wasn't wearing it, I woke up a few times because I hurt myself biting my tongue! LOL! I must clench in my sleep. ...

I have had a few made that dug into my gums, and they had to fix it. Or one was very tight, and they fixed that too. If it's to the point of being painful, I would bring it back to the dentist to get a new one or fix that one...

~Chris
 
Yes, but my mouth piece is specific for TMJ related stuff - it's what I call "rabbit teeth" - it's formed to fit JUST on my front two upper teeth and it's purpose is to keep the back teeth from meeting at night. It's saving me misery right now because I think that I cracked one of my molars last week from clenching...it's miserable, I know. Is yours custom made, or from the store? If it's from the store that may explain the discomfort - custom ones are much more comfortable and easier to adjust to.
 
Mine is made from a mold of my teeth, but it's the gum part that really bothers me. When I wake up during the night my gums are super-sore. It's the soft kind & yes, my dentist told me it'd have to be replaced periodically. Fortunatly I do have good insurance so it's covered. Maybe it just needs to be trimmed?

LMAO at the drooling. I have the same problem! :+
 
I agree with lorrayne. I don't think it should be that uncomfortable. Like jodi, at first I had one that made me gag and I just refused to wear it. But the one I have now doesn't go back far enough to cause gagging. It really doesn't bother me at all, and it only took a day or two to get used to. It's hard and it "clicks" into place on my top teeth.
 
I work for a dental office. Laura it sounds like your night guard does not fit properly. There are several options and manufacturers. I would go back to your dentist and tell him/her of your problem. Night Guards are really effective for TMJ suffers and grinders. If a nightguard is recommended by your Dr.I would consider it. I have a patient who grinds so badly that her teeth are super short and some of the molars are grinded flat so that there are no natural ridges left on her teeth. Teeth do not grow back like hair and veneers are really expensive $1,000-$2000 a tooth. If you do not have dental insurance you can look into getting your medical insurance to cover it but this usually only works for suffers with TMJ or people who have headaches from grinding. I am an invisalign patient and it took me a while to stop drooling all over the place let alone sleep with it in my mouth.
 
I work in an orthodontic office, and if you have TMJ problems you might actually want to consider a splint vs. just a nightguard. I have a splint, although I don't have true joint problems, just muscular tension. My splint fits my upper teeth, and is built up a little more to open my bite. This puts me in just the right position to allow the muscles to relax. It also protects against grinding. Of course, this is all much easier for me, because my boss is treating me. TMD treatment is very difficult to get insurance to cover. Dental says it's medical and vice versa...

--Sharon
 
LauraMax,
I use to, because I had a sore jaw. It trained me to stop biting down on my teeth. It was never uncomfortable to me. You may want to try a mouth guard in the sports section for kids. That's where I got mine and you fit your teeth in it yourself. Very inexpensive and it worked.

Take care, If you do this let me know how it goes.

Janie

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OOPS! Wardrobe malfunction!
The idea is to die young as late as possible.
 
I definately have to wear one. I don't grind as much as I clench. I'm not sure what type you have, but it shouldn't be that uncomfortable. I've been a dental assistant for years and know that there are different types. I wear a bleaching guard, it's a soft flexible, rubber type. That was the first type that the doctor started people off with. Each doctor has there own perspective though. I also prefer a lower even though most dentist recommend uppers. I have an overbite and a narrow jaw and believe that's why. I hope that helps.
 
I got fitted for and had one made but NEVER USED IT!:eek: I got horn-swoggled into it-a total scam if you ask me. This was years ago and it seems to me that my teeth are still fine. I've been back to the dentist and nothing has been said about it....
 
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