Dentist Says I'm a "Grinder" Hmm

My dentist (ie hygienist) has said repeatedly that I grind my teeth and that I should have a mouth guard. Now that I have developed tinnitus, that's a done deal. Apparently I grind my teeth pretty bad so my jaw is hurting, probably have TMJ, which can't be good.

Beyond that, I had a thought. What is a "grinder"? Apparently it's someone like me who has stress and handles it the wrong way. I grind at problems both consciously and in my sleep. I'm new at this, and I might not have the worst case of tinnitus, but I wonder if changing my grinding behavior, both mentally and physically will help.

From now on, I'm not going to focus on any one problem too much. When I think about the tone, I'll be like OK... and think about how I might have cut off my thumb instead, using power tools. If I had cut off my thumb, would I spend all day staring at it? Similarly, I can't see the nose in front of my face, and that's actually a good thing.

I think that basically this new onset of tinnitus is forcing me to change my mental attitude. If I had not, things might have gotten worse in other areas of life. It's way too early for me to act like I know anything about this, but I just thought I'd post a thought. It's my first one in this discussion area. Good luck to everyone.

 

Hi @Dave555

See if this little exercise helps....

How to cure stress.
How to stop teeth grinding. (Bruxism.)

Bruxism results from stress held in the mouth.
It is a fighting response to tension and anxiety.
It feeds both of these aspects.

Unfortunately, I have to tell you that relaxation of mind and body is not possible with that response.
So you have to address this sooner or later.
It is relatively easy to correct this problem, however.

Given that we have Tinnitus, relaxation and meditation are still possible.

*How to approach deep relaxation.
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.
Ask your tummy to take over your gentle breathing.

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

Become a soft mouth - jaw hanger. x

I have to tell you, I learnt this wonderful little practice over twenty years ago, and haven’t ‘shut my gob’ (closed my mouth) since!

 

Yeah, I should not rely on the mouthguard to do all the work for me. I really need to do some meditative exercises, which has always been hard for me. That's probably part of the problem right there. Thanks.

 

Do you have any dental fillings on the teeth you are grinding or else where in your body? (I'm asking because stress and especially anxiety can be a sign of chronic metal toxicity. If you did, it could be that you feel stress because of grinding these metals and not necessarily grinding your teeth because you are stressed.)

 

@Dave555

*How to approach meditation.
(the next step)

Sit quietly.
Breath gently for a few breaths.
Then, take a long deep breath in through the nose - and out through the mouth.
Close the lips with jaws apart.
No more consciously controlled breathing after this point.
Ask your tummy to take over your breathing for you.
Magically, automatic reflexes will do this for you, breathing through the nose.
Sit quietly just observing your reflex breathing.
With each exhalation just ‘think’ the word deeper - deeper - deeper - deeper......
as you quietly drift away.

 

I have just one metal filling and maybe one white filling, don't remember about the second one. I actually think my T is due mostly to noise trauma from using a circular saw, so I'm not even sure if the TMJ caused it or if a coincidence they happened roughly the same time.

 

That is a nice mix. I had a white one and metal one before this happened to me. White fillings were supposedly problematic esp in elderly who swallowed them and couldn't be seen on the xrays--same with dentures. So the powers that be ADA and hospitals officials decided they had to require addition of something in material that was as radiopaque as a 9mm piece of copper. Guess what they chose? Supposedly, due to the luminosity and realistic appearance, they decided on lead!!!! This is added to the ceramic filling material and to denture teeth--required.

So, if this doesn't leach by itself you have the mercury amalgam to help it along in a weak electrolysis saliva solution. Check your gums for blue lead lines. I worked with lead paint for ten years painting signs and had tests for lead twice in '90 and '93. The level then was none. In 2014, after yet another reaction to teeth and dental work, my blood lead level was at 3 (I never got the units) because I was furious at being told this was normal.

At night, saliva gravitates into the ear canals and sinuses. Any bacteria in your mouth helps the process of eroding the metal into your spit.

Brush your teeth with home made soap (do not use fluoride) then do oil pulls (sesame is good but trick is to literally smother bacteria living inside your teeth, Fluoride microfractores bones and teeth longintudinally due to the brittleness of the formation fluoride binding to calcium. This bacteria inside the teeth is cyanogenic usually and that chemical melts the metals. The trick to cure this is to remineralize your teeth which will never happen as long as you use fluoridated toothpaste or rinses. But, you still need to kill down the bacteria which is why oil helps and vinegar tea at night helps get it under control, as does periodic (not every day) sinus and ear cleansing.