How to Stop Grinding Your Teeth

Some years ago I suffered with Temporal Mandibular Pain.
I went to the GP worried that I might have a brain tumour.
He said it’s probably nothing. ‘NOTHING?’
Just take some ibuprofen, which I’m allergic to, it will probably go away. It didn’t.
Basically, he was ‘conflumoxed.’ ie - Stumped!

I subsequently went to see a very well respected psychotherapist, who also taught deep relaxation and meditation.

She took one look at me, and it took her just three seconds to put two and two together, which I thought was pretty impressive, never having been all that good at figures, me’self.

“You are clenching your teeth.”

She said:
“You must start by treating your anxiety.
The main area for holding tension in the body is the mouth, with clenched teeth.

You must understand the mechanism.
Clenching the teeth is a ‘fighting pose.’
The natural and healthy way to be, is with the lips closed, but the teeth slightly open, the jaws apart, and the tongue floating gently in a pool of liquid.
Sound complicated?.....It’s not.

In short.....

***Just allow the lower jaw to hang slightly.
That is essentially all there is to it.
It will promote a relaxed acceptance.***

The tongue should never be forced up against the palate.
Keep a really soft mouth at all times.
The teeth should only ever be closed when eating.
Otherwise keep a soft mouth.
It may take a bit of practice.”

As adults we carry so much anxiety and tension, and develop the habit of teeth grinding.
Babies don’t tighten their jaws.
They know better.
They are the masters of relaxation.
We have to ‘unlearn this really bad habit.’
A soft mouth will automatically relax a tense stomach also.

I walked out of there with my TMD gone for ever, in one session.
Forty quid well spent, I’d say!

 

A mouth guard will help also.
Love glynis

 

I am worried that those mouth guards introduce small doses (that accumulate over time) of toxic chemicals into my body....

My tongue is up against the palate...

I will try to get into a habit of relaxing my jaw even more during the day. Is it the case that as a result of this one might end up being less likely to grind teeth at night?

 

@glynis , @Bill Bauer ,
I know nothing about mouth guards I’m afraid.
My psychotherapist was quite brilliant.
A hypnotherapist, who taught me meditation and allied relaxation techniques.

She could ‘put me out in seconds,’ and would test the softness of my mouth by gently feeling under my jaw line with her fingers and thumb.
If it was good, I would hear her whisper,
“So soft - lovely.”
She told me that some clients who came to her had a rocky cave, where a lovely soft mouth ought to be.
All of those instructions I have posted here were hers of course......not my own.

Another treatment she promoted was:
“On falling asleep, ensure that the lower jaw is free and loose.
Then ‘think’ the word
‘Deeper.....Deeper....Deeper with every breath.
Ideally,
Out - DEEP
In - ER
Out - DEEP
In - ER.

(Cynics will probably see this as psychobabble)

 

@Bill Bauer
I’m sorry Bill - I failed to answer your question.
Once you make a ‘hanging jaw’ a habit, the problem should be solved.
My jaw was tight most of the time, mandibular pain etc.... until I absorbed this piece of advice.
Once you accept the logic of it, and consciously (to start with) practice it, you will adopt it period.

 

I will try it!

 

Then I must be a prize fighter.

I'm going to give this a try.

 

@SugarMagnolia
It will work SM - you’ll see. x

 

Hi, Jazzer.

This is my first post. My tinnitus started at the beginning of March. It is affecting my left ear with a very high pitch squeal. I am also one who grinds my teeth at night. The dentist made me a mouth guard years ago but I find it almost impossible to wear. I end up sleeping less when I do wear it.

This tip is relaxing me right now, thanks.

 

@emmalee - I honestly believe it will work for you - just remind yourself of the written advice sometimes, to make sure you’ve ‘got it.’
Dave x

 

I have had a similar experience. However, unlike the expensive mouth guard from a dentist, you can use scissors to cut the cheap mouth guard from a pharmacy (the one that you place in hot water before biting into) into a shape that bothers you less. In other words, if the guard goes all the way to your back teeth, you can but off that part and only leave enough of it to cover the front 8 teeth (on the top jaw) or so. You can also cut off other parts that make it difficult to use the guard (e.g., the top of the guard). When you bite into it when it is heated, you can try moving it in all directions (while you bite) to get a looser fit. If it doesn't work, you can always boil it again and reshape it again. If I wasn't so concerned about the toxic chemicals exposure as a result of this guard, I would be very happy with it. This, despite the fact that I have a Crazy gag reflex.

 

@Bill Bauer

I have no experience of mouth guards, of course, as I didn’t go that way.
It seems to me that they are there for damage limitation.
Teeth grinding is a symptom of extreme anxiety.
I chose to get to the bottom of the cause of the anxiety, through psychotherapy.
It worked well for me.

 

I do too, @Jazzer, thank-you very much. I am sitting here, now, with my "soft mouth." It will soon become habit and I won't have to think about it.

 

Now this is something that I will look into for sure, @Bill Bauer. I am going to the pharmacy to pick up ear plugs this afternoon, I need to wash my hair and I want to prevent water from getting into my ear/ears. My mouthguard is so uncomfortable and hard, and yes, gagging is an issue for me, also.

My appointment with the ENT isn't until May 10th and I am trying to remain calm. I have been reading through the forum and I now know that it is crucial for me to stay calm and positive and perhaps not try any "experiments."

I am so relieved to have found this forum. In my attempt for some relief from the Tinnnitus I was googling and found an article on Sudafed and that lead me here. Not going to try the Sudafed because of the fact that my jaw is also aching and clicking, something that I have experienced before. It comes and goes, only this time the Tinnitus has joined the party.

 

Emmalee - I learnt this little lesson on day one, in just one go.
You need never ‘grind’ again!

I’ll just mention one little aside.
I had so much isolation and trauma in infancy, that I know that is where this habit originated.
Funnily enough, the day I took this wonderful little lesson on board I also noticed that by ‘soft mouth, jaw hanging’ I felt a little tearful, and vulnerable, which would have been the historic experience I needed to escape from all those years ago.
That soon passed, but I never again lived with a tight closed mouth.
Very best wishes Ema,
Dave xx

 

Thanks for the kind wishes @Jazzer, this forum is a ray of sunshine, honestly. Your experience gives me hope, my teeth grinding is absolutely stress related. My own childhood and early adolescence lead to this stress I speak about. I am in a constant state of evolving!☺️

 

In that case we are two of a kind.
Great big big big hug,
Dave xx

 

Back at you, Jazzer!

 

Good morning to all of you
“Soft mouth - jaw hangers”

Did any of you manage to stay the course,
or are you back to grinding......?

 

@Jazzer I'm been using this method for about six months. Read about it in a TMD healing book. It works most of the time if I sleep on my sides, but with neck tinnitus I need to sleep on my back. It doesn't work for me sleeping on my back as I still clench.

I have problems with the weight of noise blocking headphones having neck problems. Any slight head movement while wearing them even for less than a minute will spike my T.

 

Good morning, @Jazzer.

I am doing quite well, thanks for asking. I have been doing a lot of reading and research on this forum and I am "cautiously" sure that my teeth grinding/ Bruxism and subsequent TMJ/TMD are suspects in the onset of my Tinnitus. At the moment my jaw is doing its clicking and popping and my ear is singing along. I am doing the "mouth softening" along with warm compresses to ease my aching jaw.

A bit about me....I am a petite person, small-boned and have a very small mouth. The dentist has to use a child's brace to hold my mouth open during dental procedures. In fact, it was a particularly long and grueling root canal that caused my first episode of "popping and clicking." Of this I am certain.

Just this morning I laid my electric tooth brush to rest, lol. Man, that thing is loud. Why didn't I pay attention to this before the Tinnitus? Today I am buying a regular toothbrush. Because of the extreme discomfort of dental visits I pay close attention to my teeth, brushing and flossing twice a day, etc.

There is so much to learn and I want to be be well informed before my visit to the ENT specialist next month.

~Knowledge is Power~

 

@emmalee

Thank you so much for coming back to me.
Everything you are doing is right in my opinion. Do you also plug up for vacuuming and food processing?
I will not have ultrasonic teeth cleaning either.

 

You are most welcome, @Jazzer. No, earplugs are something that I have only been reading about since joining the forum. My Tinnitus began on or around the second week of March, so it is all very new to me, I am doing my best to remain calm and accepting until I see the specialist.

There are many wonderful people here who are so willing to offer up suggestions and understanding. You are one of them, thank-you.