Sucking it in

This has always been an issue for me, but lately it's really bothering me.

When the mask is on, my cheeks suck in a little. I try to make a little space between my upper and lower teeth so I don't grind in my sleep, but that means my cheek gets sucked in a little bit against the bite surface of the teeth. One side of my mouth has been very sore lately from pushing against the sharp surface of the teeth--perhaps there has been a slight shift since recent dental work to close a gap between two teeth.

I guess that a mouth guard would work, but I can't bring myself to do it. When I first got my orthodontia off as a teen, they made me sleep with a medieval device called a "positioner". It was a sort of oversized mouth guard and I hated the damn thing. I have a touchy gag reflex to begin with, and that thing was uncomfortable and horrible. There were air holes that always got clogged, and it was miserable. Now when I think of a mouth guard it makes me ill to imagine having to sleep with one in addition to CPAP.

Any other ideas?

I had one of those evil positioned too. Now, 35 years later, I use a night guard because I am wearing out my front teeth. It really isn't comparable to the positioner. It is much smaller, rigid, and fits only on my upper teeth. It took only a few nights to get totally used to it. I can't say for sure I understand how it would fix your problem, though.

I can't think of anything except teeth guards. Sorry. Here's something I wrote about last year, it's about the minimalist Doctor's Night Guard. I detail some of the things I do differently with it since one only has to fit it to the upper OR lower teeth. Notably its profile is very small. Here's what I previously wrote:

viewtopic/t110300/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9 ... rd#p908643

I've been writing about it for a few years... you might try going to my 'member's posts' and searching for Night Guard or teeth guards. I've covered different types also but always came back to the Doctor's Night Guard.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, you might try Orajel mouth moisterizer... that could cut down on the teeth scratching. I use it every night. Here's the best price I found tho it may be cheaper on Amazon if you get free shipping:

http://www.dentist.net/products/orajel- ... rizing-gel

I dont' care for Biotene product... for me it just doesn't last all night.

I sleep with this and have for years due to clenching and grinding, and used to get those sores on the sides of my mouth. It's definitely minimal compared to other ones I tried in the past, no boiling or anything. http://www.dentek.com/comfort-fit-dental

Have you mentioned this to your dentist? They have all kinds of tools (other than sanders and planers *smile*) for helping to even things out. Might be something simple they could do for this. Especially since it seems to be the result of other dental work.

RogerSC wrote:Have you mentioned this to your dentist? They have all kinds of tools (other than sanders and planers *smile*) for helping to even things out. Might be something simple they could do for this. Especially since it seems to be the result of other dental work.

Actually that's a pretty good idea... address the source of the problem if possible. I had a rough edged molar repair a while ago and the dentist smoothed it out in about five minutes. After he finished he said he loved to do that kind of stuff because it's so easy and there's immediate relief for the person sitting in the chair. No pain, no anesthetic... simple and fast.

Those little boil and bite youth mouth guards from Walmart work for me. They can be made for both the top and bottom. They are small so they aren't uncomfortable.

"Occlusal equilibration is a term used in dentistry to describe the adjustment of the way your upper and lower teeth bite together. Altering the chewing surfaces of some or all of a person's teeth allows the jaw joints to be in the properbanatomical location when the teeth are fitting together." Google

This may be something to look into. I had it done several years ago and it made a nice difference. Run it by your dentist.

Good ideas everyone. Thanks! I thought those mouth guards were going to be like the horrid positioner.

But I'll start with the dentist.

Janknitz wrote:I guess that a mouth guard would work, but I can't bring myself to do it. When I first got my orthodontia off as a teen, they made me sleep with a medieval device called a "positioner". It was a sort of oversized mouth guard and I hated the damn thing. I have a touchy gag reflex to begin with, and that thing was uncomfortable and horrible.

I'm a tooth clencher and sleep with a custom-made night guard from the dentist. It is very comfortable (especially the part about not waking up with an aching head and jaw from clenching).

I can understand your reluctance due to past experience. The positioner sounds like a nightmare. But I think you'd find a night guard to be a pleasant surprise in terms of comfort.