1 month cpap- tooth crumbling!!!

Melissa · Post by **Melissa** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:11 am

I've been using cpap for a month and this morning I woke up with something granular in my back teeth on one side... found out it was a little bit of a back tooth crumbling off! It doesn't hurt but is a little "snaggly" back there... it crumbled off from the outside of the tooth and is not much, but very concerning to me!! I have always had great teeth with no problems! Called the dentist and made an appointment, but they can't get me in until next Thursday. Anyone else have this problem? Do you think I'm grinding my teeth? What can I do about it until I see the dentist? Thanks for your help!

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 11:21 am

bruxism is common with OSA. They don't know the cause, but it can be devastating on your teeth especially the molars. It can crack or split the tooth where the tooth dies and falls out. If you want to save that tooth put a crown on it.

the condition is NOT caused by cpap (you had it before cpap, just didn't know it). Your dentist can make a night guard to help protect your teeth but you can also buy one of those sports boil type guards and they work just as well for much less.

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 11:28 am

It shouldn't be XPAP related, really your mouth is more healthy with XPAP, if done right. By not mputhbreathing, your mouth does better.

It could be grinding, one other thing that damaged mine, i am diabetic, one of the problems, you seem to crave ice, cracking ice cubes weakens the teeth, also those dentists that drilled them for every little spot when you were a kid, fixing cavaties weakens teeth too. Jim

roster · Post by **roster** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 1:44 pm

I had undiagnosed and misdiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea for a long time. For several years my dentist was telling me I was grinding my teeth down (bruxism). No doubt I was doing this in my sleep while I was struggling to breathe. There is a study out this year which implicates osa as a cause of bruxism.

The good news is with cpap I am no longer struggling to breathe in my sleep and have quit grinding my teeth.

After you see your dentist, I will be interested to hear his comments.

_________________

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NyNurse33 · Post by **NyNurse33** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:28 pm

When I first started cpap 2 months ago, b/c I was trying so hard to keep my mouth closed, I started grinding my teeth, where I know I wasn't before. But I have since learned to relax my jaw, by placing my tongue up against the roof of my mouth and the tip of it right behine the front teeth and it seemed to go away, either that or I'm always mouth breathing...lol

DrDan · Post by **DrDan** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 7:55 pm

Snoredog wrote:bruxism is common with OSA. They don't know the cause, but it can be devastating on your teeth especially the molars. It can crack or split the tooth where the tooth dies and falls out. If you want to save that tooth put a crown on it.

I'm a dentist. Your dentist may not find that a crown is necessary. Go with what he or she recommends.

t

he condition is NOT caused by cpap (you had it before cpap, just didn't know it). Your dentist can make a night guard to help protect your teeth but you can also buy one of those sports boil type guards and they work just as well for much less.

I wholeheartedly disagree. No matter what position your jaw is in, some muscles are firing. A boil-and-bite will lock you into one position, with the result being that your jaw muscles are likely to go into spasm. It's the same thing that would happen if you walked around holding a 5 pound weight in your extended hand. Eventually, the muscles cramp.

I've had patients try the mouth guard route. They either quit wearing it, or come to me for a real one after one or two nights. Usually both.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:58 pm

DrDan:

I am a CLENCHER! ...even during the daytime, but with extreme pressure at night.
My dentist made an 'ent' (?), small plastic device that fits onto bottom front teeth.
Problem: I wear an upper denture, which he wants out at night, and I also feel better without it. In addition, am avoiding damage to it via bruxism.
Problem: the ent makes a sore on my upper gum, and the 'boil & bite" drugstore solution 'softens the blow' in addition to equalizing pressure to a larger surface. I fit it on my lower teeth of course. Have good suction, and it stays put.

Comments? I'm not challenging; maybe with my condition, I am a better candidate for the boil type?

Thanks for your input.

DrDan · Post by **DrDan** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 1:47 pm

I am a CLENCHER! ...even during the daytime, but with extreme pressure at night.
My dentist made an 'ent' (?), small plastic device that fits onto bottom front teeth.
Problem: I wear an upper denture, which he wants out at night, and I also feel better without it. In addition, am avoiding damage to it via bruxism.
Problem: the ent makes a sore on my upper gum, and the 'boil & bite" drugstore solution 'softens the blow' in addition to equalizing pressure to a larger surface. I fit it on my lower teeth of course. Have good suction, and it stays put.

Comments? I'm not challenging; maybe with my condition, I am a better candidate for the boil type?

Thanks for your input.

NTI. Here's a link, although the site seems geared to migraine sufferers.

http://www.nti-tss.com/

Without seeing you, I can't say for sure, but the lack of upper teeth probably is what keeps you from locking into the same position and overtaxing your muscles.

I almost never argue with success--keep doing what you're doing, if it's working!

jasper · Post by **jasper** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 3:32 pm

From my own experience, I had one particularly bad night a week or so after I started CPAP. (I've been on CPAP for about 2 months now). What happened that night was that I had been having a very dry mouth, and the RT told me, in addition to raising the humidifier setting, that I needed to concentrate on training myself to nose breathe. Well, I think my subconscious translated that into, "clench your teeth". I awoke with a loud "crack" and luckily did not find any pieces of tooth or filling. Maybe a surface slipped off the opposing surface. I had very sore jaw muscles for the next several days, but decided I needed to "train myself" better than that. I've tried very consciously since then to keep from clenching, and it seems to work. I haven't woken to find myself doing that, and my jaw is much better. So in my own very limited experience, I never had that problem before. It did start after I started CPAP, so in a way, CPAP was the "cause". More honestly, CPAP was the setting, and I was the cause. Good news, I seem to have gotten over that episode and not repeated it.

Melissa · Post by **Melissa** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 8:57 pm

Thanks for all the input. I went to see the sleep doc today and he confirmed that I had NOT displayed any bruxism during my sleep study. I truly do not believe I have ever been a teeth-grinder before CPAP. My guess is that I am clenching my teeth tightly in response to the CPAP, as I awoke this morning catching myself doing that! If the dentist says anything interesting, I'll let you all know. In the meantime I am going to try the self-training route!

Mile High Sleeper · Post by **Mile High Sleeper** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:25 pm

About a month into CPAP, I felt a jagged tooth. Because the stress of adapting to CPAP was so great, and I was so determined to succeed, I did a lot of teeth clenching, in spite of wearing a dentist's custom made split to prevent bruxism and TMJ, which I had for many years prior to diagnosis.

The dentist smoothed out the rough spot, I relaxed with the therapy, and it's been fine until recently when I experienced some tooth pain when my UMFF straps were too tight. Getting a new UMFF solved that problem.

3isles · Post by **3isles** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:52 pm

Now I was just the opposite, I ground my teeth terribly before being dx'd with sleep apnea. I had a bruxism guard and it helped some. I could not stand to use the bruxism guard with the cpap mask, but once I got so I was able to use cpap for longer periods at night (I did NOT take to it well) I stopped having the symptoms of bruxism, ie no jaw pain in the morning and no more broken teeth and fillings.

Since my daughter got home from the hospital this summer and I have to be the night nurse I haven't been able to use my cpap because of needing to hear her and because after being wakened to her vent alarms several times I just can't put it back on to sleep anymore....but the point is since not using the mask I have broken another filling. I am working hard at getting a real night nurse so I can do days and sleep with cpap again. But its funny how differently people react. I grind from the stress of apneas, others grind from the stress of xpap

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 6:31 am

I have also stopped grinding my teeth since starting cpap. I don't toss and turn anymore either!

Brenda

Melissa · Post by **Melissa** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 3:47 pm

Well, I went to the dentist and things are ok with my tooth. Didn't do much damage and just chipped a little of the enamel. He stated that I have no other signs of bruxism. However, the dentist agreed that I am probably clenching my teeth in response to CPAP and this will probably work itself out as I get more comfortable with the mask and focus on keeping my tongue on the roof of my mouth behind my front teeth- doing this does not allow me to clench. Thanks for all your feedback.

1 month cpap- tooth crumbling!!!

1 month cpap- tooth crumbling!!!

Bruxism

cracked tooth