Over the years, my orthodontist and my dentist(s) noticed that my teeth were slowly getting smaller and flatter, and finally I got the verdict about two years ago that I was grinding my teeth. A couple dental visits earlier this year on Eglin, my dentist told me that not only was I grinding because my teeth were flat, but I was clenching, evident by my teeth collapsing on themselves and forming ultra-sensititive divots at the gums. And boy, did I know all about those divots!! I've been using Sensodyne just to keep my mouth numb enough (it's the potassium in the toothpaste or something of that nature) so that I could brush my teeth without hurting myself. It always felt like I was touching nerve roots. Doing some quick research on the internet I also found that bruxism can also cause cracks in your teeth...something I've been noticing in my lower teeth for years. It didn't help that compounding on the problem was that I'm pretty sure I had TMJ after my wisdom teeth were removed, and every once in a while if my jaw is out of place, it pops rather audibly and embarrassingly loud.
The dentist ended up filling the divots with resin to prevent me from getting pain during brushing or eating sharp or cold foods, and then she fitted me with a mouthguard of really hard plastic (or acrylic?). I got it a few days ago and have been wearing it at night, and it is WEIRD. It fits just barely over the caps of my top teeth. It seems to work because Dave says I'm not grinding anymore, but now I feel like I'm clenching more out of habit of when I used to have a retainer and I used my teeth to clench it down over my teeth. I still wake up with my jaws hurting like crazy, but hopefully it will work better soon. Just have to hope that I don't drool all over my pillow!
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