Posted by Cairo on May 11, 2007, at 20:50:24
In reply to Re: Grinding teeth / Jaw..., posted by Sebastian on May 11, 2007, at 16:13:13
All SSRIs cause teeth grinding in me. If it's just at night, then a night guard (splint) would help, but if it's also during the day/during stress, then to protect your TM joint from prematurely wearing and arthritis, you might need to wear one during the day. I had a special one made that I wear even to eat, when stress is bad and I continually clench. When things are less stressful, I wear it at night always, but not during the day; I've learned to keep my teeth slight apart to prevent clenching. If you're older and the grinding has been going on for awhile, only an MRI can tell if there's joint wear and tear.
I'd start with your regular dentist, then go to one who specializes in TMJ if needed later. Don't let them sell you on the kind of bite guard that they need to adjust weekly - a money maker, but it doesn't get at the root cause of the clenching.
Good luck!
Cairo
poster:Cairo
thread:757700
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070509/msgs/757978.html