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Question:
I grind my teeth very loudly at night. Why I do not know. It cannot be from stress, as I am quiet a relaxed and happy individual. When I was between 12 and 18, my dentist removed 5 perfectly good teeth because "they were restricting the other teeth from growing properly", so he said. They were growing at an angle towards the front of the mouth.
When I close my mouth, the upper set of teeth, overhang the bottom set i.e. the top front 6 teeth. I do smoke and I do drink a lot of coffee, up to 8 cups a day with 2 spoons of sugar. I have spoken with my dentist who says I have very strong teeth and I should not worry about it, but I do, as does my wife who has lost many many hours of sleep over the severity of my grinding. Can you please please please HELP me. ...Barry in Dublin, Ireland
Answer:
Barry, we appreciate your inquiry regarding the loud grinding of your teeth. I can empathize with your wife. I recall as a dental student walking down a corridor towards one of the wards at the Veterans administration hospital and hearing this horrendous noise at 6:00 am. It sounded like an industrial grinding machine. Much to my dismay it was coming from one of the patients who was grinding his teeth while sleeping!!!!
Anyway, you are correct to be concerned. I do not agree with your dentist. Clenching and grinding of the teeth can not only destroy your teeth but place undo stress on the joint and cause Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction TMD.
First, I would eliminate caffiene completely. At least do not have any after noon. I would also try to eliminate tobacco!! Too much sugar can also be bad. The next thing is to have your occlusion (bite) evaluated. If your dentist is not familiar with proper occlusion then you need to find someone who is. For some additionall information on occlusion go to my web site www.bocaratoncosmeticdentist.com and read the page related to Occlusion/Bite.
You may need to have your teeth restored to give you a more balanced bite.
This can become a little expensive. A less expensive alternative would be to have your dentist fabricate a hard acrylic occlusal appliance. If designed correctly, it should balance your bite. You wear this at night to protect your teeth and prevent bruxism. Hope this has helped.
Florida Reconstructive Dentistry
Mitchell Pohl, DDS
2900 N. Military Trail, Suite 105
Boca Raton Florida FL 33431
(561) 368-3440
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