Could Wearing Two Mouth Guards (One for Each Jaw) Cause TMJ?

I grind my teeth at night, and I need to wear a mouth guard. The problem is that whenever I bite onto something hard (e.g., beef jerky), my teeth hurt, and sometimes (this has already happened twice) I need a root canal surgery afterwards. This is why I didn't use the $800 custom mouth guard given to me by my dentist - it is made of hard plastic.

Even when I wear the guard from the store on my upper jaw, the teeth on my lower jaw hurt, because the bottom of the guard is pretty hard.

I bought a second mouth guard and fit it to my lower jaw. I slept with two mouth guards (one for each jaw) for two nights now.

These guards force my jaws to be pretty far apart (my lips continue being closed, though).

I am concerned about getting TMJ.

I am having trouble finding any information about wearing two mouth guards on the net...

 

This is something I know a lot about as had jaw problems since a teenager.
You only need one on your lower teeth to keep your jaw in the right place.
I had a plastic one for many years and had to wear it 24/7 .
my next one was rubber and again to wear it 24/7.
The rest of the message will need to be done by pm as I want to keep it off
the forum.
Love glynis x

 

@Bill Bauer
Does the guard force your lower jaw forward?
I recently had one made and it is so uncomfortable! I previously had one that was separate upper and lower and I got used to that (then my dog chewed it when I left it on my bedside table!!!), but this new one is harder plastic, and the upper and lower parts are attached.
My purpose was to stop grinding and also sleep apnea /snoring which has developed since the birth of my twins (not weight related at all).
They did give me a morning appliance to wear for an hour to "reset" the jaw position, but I actually can't bear to wear the night appliance at the moment as it's so uncomfortable.

 

I don't think it does. The two guards together force my lower jaw down, so that it is about 1 centimeter away from my upper jaw.

Is it the case that you wore it, it forced your lower jaw down, and you ended up not getting TMJ?

 

@Bill Bauer
OK, I see what you mean about guard you've got. Sounds different to mine.
Mine was for grinding and I had slight (but not bothersome) TMJ. The guard I had forced my lower jaw forward (as opposed to down) and that also had the benefit of helping with the sleep apnea as it helps open the airways.
I like that guard I had much better than the one I have now. I am worried that it could cause TMJ as it's so uncomfortable to wear.
My issues also are around my bite. I have a severe open bite, and there is a lot of pressure on my back teeth because of this, and there are a couple of cracks in my back molars already.
The open bite doesn't bother me aesthetically, but I'm worried about my teeth and I wonder if this contributes to the sleep apena / snoring / TMJ. Who knows if it's contributing to the tinnitus as well?? (Not likely).
I'm going to most likely have to get braces, and given the severity of my open bite, I've consulted a facial surgeon also (this was my orthodontists recommendation). Not keen to have surgery for a number of reasons, but it does sound like it would help resolve the sleep apnea as well. I'm not keen on CPAP for the rest of my life either.

 

Mine is also for grinding. They sell them to be used on one jaw. However, it is not soft at the bottom so when I wore it on my upper jaw, the teeth on my upper jaw felt fine, but the teeth on my lower jaw began to hurt. So I bought an identical guard and fit it to my lower jaw. This way, all of my teeth feel ok. The problem is that my lower jaw is now in a position that was probably not intended by the manufacturer (as they assume you will use their product on only one jaw)... So now I am worried about getting TMJ...

I have a strong gag reflex, so I cut off the back of both guards. Currently, they cover only 8 teeth on each jaw. It is still the case that my back teeth are not touching the teeth on the opposite jaw. You might want to consider cutting off the back of your guard.

 

@Bill Bauer
So your guard you are wearing now is not custom made? Both of mine were made from moulds of my teeth.
How long have you been using your guard? I know my teeth hurt a bit at first, but then they were fine after a few weeks.
The first guard I had made by the dentist was soft plastic, and it was great to wear.
You probably don't want to spend any more money on this, but could your dentist make you a soft guard instead? They already have moulds of your mouth so shouldn't cost you $800 again. Then at least you know it is moulded to fit your mouth and shouldn't cause any issues with your jaw.
That's a good idea to trim the guard. Thanks Bill.

 

When I went through the trouble of getting a custom made guard, it hasn't occurred to me that it would be made of hard plastic. I can't take the risk of biting down on something hard and having to have a root canal. So I am just using those "boil and bite" guards from a pharmacy.

I used it off and on for about 4 months. Every time my teeth would hurt, I would stop using it.

My dentist told me that all custom guards are made of hard plastic. It sounds like my dentist was not telling the truth. I need to keep looking for a dentist that works with a lab that makes soft guards.

 

@Bill Bauer
I'm in Australia, but I don't see why they wouldn't have soft guards where you are.
I definitely had a soft custom guard. I assumed all guards were soft which is why I've stuffed up with my new guard. It was a DIY one - you make a mould of your teeth and send it to the lab and they send the guard back. Never even considered the plastic would be hard.
I didn't know you could get "boil and bite" guards, good to know though.
Why does it have to be so hard?

 

The one I am using now (that has a hard part) is
https://www.amazon.com/DenTek-Professional-Maximum-Protection-Dental/dp/B008YEMVSI/
I guess the hardness is there to ensure that one doesn't bite through it.

I had also bought similar-looking guards that were soft everywhere, but they were bulkier and I couldn't use them as a result of my gag reflex.

 

@Samantha R Surgery should be a last resort. If you want links about this let me know.

Therapy release of the temporalis and suprahyoid muscles may be the answer for you. There's some videos on You Tube. You can read about this 40% down in this link. I have researched for months on the pro and cons - TMD Jaw and open bite. https://trainingandrehabilitation.com/multifactorial-causes-solutions-chronic-neck-pain/

There is another useful article https://trainingandrehabilitation.com/association-tinnitus-neck-tmj/

@Bill Bauer You only need a small thin guard if all you are worried about is grinding. It doesn't need to cover all your teeth. There's more injury from using a soft guard. Ora Guard is highly recommended. I had a DenTek, but I made adjustments. It worked OK.

 

Unfortunately, this is not a good option for me, due to my gag reflex.

I read about this too. I am not sure why this would be the case, or how an injury comes about. My teeth really hurt, and eventually require root canal when I bite on something hard, so my guard will have to be soft. It will also have to be very thick (and will keep my lower jaw teeth about half an inch away from the tip of the teeth on my upper jaw.

 

The Ora Guard is the only guard that I don't have a gag reflex with. It only covers three pre molars on each side. I broke one from the dentist trying to adjust it. Another one ended up in the wash as I took it out one night and placed it on the sheets. Since I can't move my jaw or neck too much, I now need to complete a homemade one.

One reason why some have problems with a soft guard is because they bite on the soft surface more. It's been called the candy effect.

 

@Bill Bauer
Definitely, the soft guard was much more bulky than this plastic guard I have.
I also have a strong gag reflex (apparently I have a large tongue and that's why! lol).
The guard troubled me at first with the gag reflex but then I got used to it.

 

I did notice that I seem to be doing more grinding ever since I began using that (soft) night guard........

 

@Greg Sacramento
Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply.
I certainly don't want surgery if I can help it.
I meet with the orthodontist next week to discuss options. I definitely need to correct my bite though.
He said I had a Class 3 Malocclusion (hope that makes sense). My upper jaw is either under developed or my bottom jaw is over developed. Something along those lines and I haven't done much research as yet.
If you have some links, please do let me know.
I'll also check out those other links, thank you Greg.

 

I DO NOT WANT TO BECOME A BORE,

- However there is something about these posts that I can not get my head around.

I had TMJ pain for probably over 25 years, through grinding my teeth all day long.
The pain in my temples was so bad that I thought I must have a brain tumour.
That pain was with me permenantly.

I have obviously mentioned before that my therapist cured me in just one 55 minute session.
When you understand your own emotional input, and the way you actually trigger the mechanics of this practice, you can free yourself of this awful habit.

The really magical thing about this remedy is that once you practice it, it will become such a habit that you will no longer grind at night time either.

I know that is hard to believe, but I have the proof.

I will not post the remedy again - unless somebody specifically asks for it.

Like I said:

I DO NOT WANT TO BECOME A BORE....

 

@Jazzer I would like it. I struggle terribly with TMJ. I have worn out my condyle before the age of 30

 

@kelpiemsp

- Sit quietly in your chair.
Assume the demeanour of a baby.
With your lips closed, allow your jaw to hang comfortably loose, your teeth apart.
Allow the inside of your mouth to relax and go quite quite soft.
Allow your throat to soften.
Become aware that your tongue is now floating in water.
No more consciously controlled breathing.
Ask your tummy to take over your breathing for you.
Automatic reflexes will do this for you.
Sit quietly just observing your reflex breathing.

(As a habit, always try to become aware of where your tongue is - it should always be floating gently, never pushed up against the roof of your mouth.
Teeth should close only when eating!)

I hope this helps.

It is not something you have to do,
“It is something you have to undo.”

Dave

PS - please let me know if this helps,
or has become a habit for you.
Become a “Soft Mouth - Jaw Hanger.”

 

Hi @Samantha R I had thought that your situation is related to an under developed jaw, so this is why I sent you these 2 links. The articles talk about the under developed jaw and the two areas of therapy probably needed which I included as mentioned. All my thoughts of tinnitus minus body to mind psych needs to be credited to brilliant professional researchers.

I had practiced therapy as to what is said in first link after three years with first onset of hearing loss from sound exposure. This therapy and explanation starts half way down in the first link. This self implied therapy per first onset starting at year three probably played a big part in improving my hearing loss tinnitus. By year 4, my severe hearing loss association tinnitus dropped in volume so much that I was able to go on with life. This therapy may help anyone regardless of cause. The articles talks about certain diseases that cause tinnitus.

Researchers know what causes tinnitus and they have some treatment answers for all with tinnitus. The problem is the medical community and insurance companies. These treatments are expensive and time consuming so they are not practiced by many professionals.

For some a mouth guard may help and for others it may not. This treatment isn't really discussed in the links that I provide. Chapter 4, another valuable link that I have posted also comes to the same conclusions with treatment.

Other excellent jaw therapy is what Jazzer practices.

 

Thank you Greg.
I know I go on about this remedy, but the reason I do is because it truly works.

I have not closed my jaws once, since an 11:00 am therapy session twenty years ago on a Wednesday morning.
I got it in one go.
Even my therapist could not believe it!
This was after over 20 years of TMJ pain.

To drum her remedy in, she would say, the ‘litmus’ test for anxiety is, do you have a
‘soft mouth and a hanging jaw?’

“Always become aware of where your tongue is.
Make an occasional habit of checking for it.”

Two anecdotes coming up:

* Some weeks after my therapy session, I was driving another muso to a gig, and became aware that he was watching my profile.
He said “Dave - your profile looks different.
What have you done with it?”
At that time I just brushed it off - but of course I knew what he meant.

* One year ago I was rammed into by a dangerous driver who tried to force me off the road so that he could overtake on a dangerous bend.
A colossal crash that wrote off three cars.
A situation of extreme trauma and real danger.
I checked my tongue - it was floating in water.

Subsequent to this crash, I was the only prosecution witness to this dangerous driving crash - the other witness having been intimidated into failing to appear.
I secured a driving ban and a £1200 fine for this ‘boy racer.’