Grinding Teeth More now

[Scootergirl]

I've always been a clencher more than a tooth grinder - so my dentist says......sometimes I go through long periods of time when I notice I'm not clenching/grinding but lately with the chin strap wearing I'm noticing waking up and absolutely knowing I'm clenching or at the very least, holding my jaw in the same position all night - my teeth are a bit sore. I wear a Pap Cap at night and I'm wondering if I'm positioning it wrong to encourage my jaw to clench? I'm thinking of getting a boil and form guard, of course my dentist would like me to get a guard from him, but not sure I can tolerate them - I used to wake up holding my old one in my hand Maybe with the chin strap, it will limit my ability to do that - I don't want to get a sore jaw, put more wear on my teeth, or TMJ and I don't want to wear a FFM, too claustrophobic for that. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Pugsy]

Take a look at the Tap Pap nasal pillow mask..link in my equipment profile.
Might kill 2 birds with one stone. I was also thinking of getting a little boil and bite guard for teeth/jaw clenching and then this mask was made available.
I don't know if your pap cap is making the clenching worse or not....I was doing it and not using any sort of chin strap.
It was causing so much TMJ soreness that I couldn't even eat first thing in the morning and sometimes well into the afternoon.

[jencat824]

Watch carefully to make sure your teeth don't begin to move. You may need a retainer. Even if the Tap Pap helps, I would still ask your dentist to check to make sure you teeth aren't moving. A retainer would help with grinding (I didn't know that until I went to an orthodontist), but I didn't do anything about my teeth moving from CPAP until it was too late for just a retainer.

I'm in the middle of $4,800 worth of orthodontic work from the damage of CPAP at my high pressure. If the Tap Pap keeps your teeth steady, like a retainer, that might do the trick. I only mentioned this because of what I'm going thru now.

Another recent newbie at a high pressure also is undergoing orthodontic work (I think she needed some work anyway & just incorporated CPAP protection with the work she was having don't). I don't want to scare you, just warn you of what could happen.

I've never used the Tap Pap because I sleep with a dental appliance now and was doing so when the Tap Pap came out, but if this prevents movement, it could save you all the pain & money I'm going thru now. Just watch those teeth carefully.

Jen

[lliann]

I have also tried the tap pap and like it. But on nights when I am really clenching and grinding, I can pull my pillows out of position.

In line with the 2 for one purpose, I use the mouth guard separately with my nasal masks. Its as good a mouth guard as I have found , the price is ok, and you can fit it to your own teeth so it doesn't flop around. I think it also helps me keep my moth closed.

[lliann]

those dam moths. I meant mouth

[Scootergirl]

those dam moths. I meant mouth

LOL...thanks.

I think I'm going to try a mouth guard - the boil and bite but for tonight, I'm going to wear a plackers guard and loosen the chin strap a little - maybe it's too tight? I appreciate the suggestions - Tap Pap doesn't look like something I would be comfortable with - the up and over my head would drive me to distraction. And I don't necessarily want to clench my teeth down on something - I'd much rather try to relax and work on the stress that is apparently making me clench my teeth - I do tend to clench more when I'm stressed, I guess. I realized that last night I tossed and turned - work things on my mind - which may have a bigger impact on my clenching than I thought.

I'm not sure about the teeth moving thing - I've gone through orthodontics and see a dentist every six months - he's worried about the wear on my teeth, he hasn't mentioned movement at all. I have a very small mouth, had teeth removed to make room, and I don't know where they'd move to!

[Islandwoman]

I started Cpap with a dental mouth guard from my dentist, got it years before Cpap. My dental insurance at the time covered it because of teeth clenching. It still works fine and I don't have issues with mouth breathing etc. Since it was made from a mouth mold it has kept my teeth from moving. My dentist says teeth move daily for many reasons, I noticed it when my guard was left behind on a trip, my teeth had shifted in just a few days!

[Nozzelnut]

Definitely consult your dentist or an orthodontist. The clenching can break or chip your teeth or cause them to move. The grinding causes excessive wear on your teeth in the wrong spots; that can lead to other problems down the road to.

Going through treatment for TMJD; I also clench and grind a little. My orthodontist has me wearing a splint at night for the TMJ issues. I'm a little shocked that it's actually worked. I've used it for about 3 months and my TMJ has healed up quite a bit and let my lower jaw align where it's supposed to be; my lower jaw was being pushed back about 3mm when my mouth was closed. Braces are next so the joint stabilizes and the bite aligns properly.

I should have taken care of this stuff years ago...

[Scootergirl]

Definitely consult your dentist or an orthodontist. The clenching can break or chip your teeth or cause them to move. The grinding causes excessive wear on your teeth in the wrong spots; that can lead to other problems down the road to.

Going through treatment for TMJD; I also clench and grind a little. My orthodontist has me wearing a splint at night for the TMJ issues. I'm a little shocked that it's actually worked. I've used it for about 3 months and my TMJ has healed up quite a bit and let my lower jaw align where it's supposed to be; my lower jaw was being pushed back about 3mm when my mouth was closed. Braces are next so the joint stabilizes and the bite aligns properly.

I should have taken care of this stuff years ago...

Thank you.
I just saw my Dentist last week - he agrees that I should acclimate to the cpap before introducing anything else. I may go back to get a guard if the boil and bite seems to work. I'll have to ask him about a splint, because TMJ is a concern and we discussed that a little bit.

[Islandwoman]

OTC mouth guards vary as to plastic content as did baby bottles make sure whatever your source that the label has none of the baddies.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... toxic.aspx

[Scootergirl]

OTC mouth guards vary as to plastic content as did baby bottles make sure whatever your source that the label has none of the baddies.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... toxic.aspx

Thank you, will do!

[Scootergirl]

Just an update - wore a Plackers mouth guard last night and loosened the chin strip a titch....worked wonders. I slept like a rock. I tolerated the guard well, and not as sore this morning. Thanks for all the help and suggestions!

[stopsnoring]

I've had TMJ for a long time. I've been wearing a bite guard at night for years. Because of this snoring, my dentist suggested the night guard to hold my jaw forward at night - helped with the snoring and I slept great, however, it completely messed up my bite and my jaw could not handle it. So, now I am trying to use the cpap.
I currently have a ff mirage quattro mask, but was also given a nose mask (can't remember the name) but i sleep with my mouth open. So i tried the strap and my jaw was not happy. I did like the nasal mask compared to the ff mask. Does the Tap Pap Nasal Pillow Mask keep the mouth closed? It looks interesting to me.

[jencat824]

I am currently in the middle of orthodontic dental work, I can only guess at this, since I haven't tried the Tap Pap. My dental appliance works great at night for dual function, first as the dental appliance it is, and second I no longer mouth breathe. I can only guess, but the Tap Pap may work that way for some folks. When I have something in my mouth, I tend to bite it, therefore keeping my mouth shut. (My hubby would love to read that!) I would imagine the Tap Pap would have the same effect, it is molded to your teeth, so I would think the teeth would instinctively close around it, therefore holding the mouth shut.

Others here who use the Tap Pap may be able to better explain this, along with how it works for them. I read this & just wanted to let you know, from my perspective, I think the Tap Pap would be a great mask for anyone who needs help holding the mouth shut at night. Hopefully some Tap Pap users will let you know how it works for them.

[Sir NoddinOff]

If you decide to go with a teeth grinding preventor (or for any other readers wanting one) - I like these:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Doctors-Night ... B0036WTV2C

I only grind my teeth occasionally, but if I wake up with a sore jaw from grinding, I pop this in my mouth. Problem solved. It also helps generate saliva if I do a little mouth breathing in my Quattro FX FFM. The only thing I did different with this mouth guard was to fit it to my bottom teeth instead of the recommended upper teeth (more comfortable, in my case). It's easy to do by simply cutting off any silicone that protrudes too far back after you do the molding process.

The Plackers are okay but I nearly swallowed one once, mostly because they are fairly floppy and thin... I was not happy about that If you really like Plackers you should do what I did for the short time I used them and tie some dental floss to the front of the device where there's sort of a shallow dip. Leave that hanging out of your mouth. That way you can yank it out of your throat before it goes too far down - that is, if you wake up in time.