Just a thought...I bet the discomfort of the night guard would be less than the discomfort of jaw surgery.

Absolutely. I'll wear it if it actually works because even if it were just as uncomfortable, I'm all about keeping away from surgery on my bones.

I'm not really clear on how wearing something that seems to line my palette and teeth, though, is going to interfere with the mechanics of clenching and the resulting bone buildup. Now I'll be clenching with some plastic between my teeth. The problem is the force I'm exerting and I don't see how that's changed by the appliance.

If I hadn't been suffering from a migraine while I was there, I'd have asked more questions. It's only now that my head is less fuzzy that I'm realizing I don't really understand.

palette?!? WTF? Have I become an artist? My palate. *sigh*

I thought it had something to do with reducing the pressure added by the grinding of the teeth, with the plastic guard buffering some of the pressure. Sort of like how it hurts your jaw less when you bite down on a piece of cheese than when you bite into, say, a peach pit. But I haven't looked at this stuff in a long time.

My issue, which I have to solve eventually, is that I have neither an underbite nor an overbite. (Most people have at least a slight amount of one or the other.) Which means any jaw clenching or teeth grinding I do is wearing away the edges of my teeth. Whee!

Ain't getting older fun? :P

Happily, I'm a clencher but not a grinder. I've seen the effects of stoneground grain diets on early human populations and that's very unpleasant. I've been reading a bit more and best I can tell from the internet, the point seems to be to interrupt my behavior rather than cushion my jaws.

I don't have the headaches or other problems commonly associated with clenching, so that's a relief. I just have these really awesome pillows of bone. They're bad enough that if I ever do lose a tooth, I'd have to have a dental implant because the bone would make dentures impossible. Oh yeah. Getting old is a laugh a minute. :|

Ack, sweetie! I know nothing of these devices and who knew that you could build bone by clenching your jaw?? All news to me and I will be thinking about you and hoping for the best! I'm betting that if they expect people to actually wear these things with any regularity, they'd have to be pretty comfy, though.

Round 3 of the grunge in our house again. Greg finally went back to work today but I woke up with it again this morning LOL.

Meg got a new job for the university yesterday! She'll be a studen/presidential liasion, which means she'll give tours to incoming students and be the go-between for student concerns to the office of the university prez. She's so excited :D She's also gotten herself an internship and is going back to fencing. I've never seen her having so much fun :D

Egads! You're sick again?!? Poor, poor you. :( *pets*

How does that affect this Saturday? Should we take a wait and see approach? Amy isn't available this weekend and Joe is buried until the Fashion Week is over (post-March 17th) so it's just my schedule that we have to accommodate. I can reschedule with ease. We can even reschedule day of -- I don't need a lot of warning or anything. If Greg has been sick, he might not feel up to wandering through a museum.

I DID see your e-mail this morning but didn't have a chance to reply. If you need help hanging your stuff at Jerry's, let me know. I'm available to hammer, stick, measure, tote, or go and get beverages as needed. :)

Yay for Meg! I guess that means no more killer job in heels for her! :) Next time we get together, we should definitely celebrate.

(The bone building I knew about from my days in archaeology. It's a good thing, really. You want your bones to thicken up if you start lifting weights -- snapping your arm would be a bad thing -- it's just that I'm not supposed to be exercising those bones so much. Oops.)

How does that affect this Saturday? Should we take a wait and see approach? Amy isn't available this weekend and Joe is buried until the Fashion Week is over (post-March 17th) so it's just my schedule that we have to accommodate. I can reschedule with ease. We can even reschedule day of -- I don't need a lot of warning or anything. If Greg has been sick, he might not feel up to wandering through a museum.

I DID see your e-mail this morning but didn't have a chance to reply. If you need help hanging your stuff at Jerry's, let me know. I'm available to hammer, stick, measure, tote, or go and get beverages as needed. :)

Hehe, answered your own question ;) IF Jerry is ready (I just talked to him this morning and he's sick now, too!) we'll be there on Saturday to hang the art come hell or high water. I've no idea HOW we'll pull that off, we still have to put hangers on the canvases I'm taking, but we plan to get it done. As for needing help, it should be a MUCH easier task than it was at Mo Mong (and fuck them, right?), because all we need to do is drive nails into the walls (bless Jerry... I'm even willing, when the show is over, to stick around and patch the holes for him) so no help should be necessary. However, if you want to just come and hang out, you know I'm always thrilled to see you, and no doubt we'll be heading somewhere for dinner afterwards, even dusty and dirty as we're likely to be, so you're welcome to just join us for that, if you like :D I would love to bring a bottle of wine with me and have a toast, but I'm not sure how Jerry feels about that- it's his place of business, after all.

Yay for Meg! I guess that means no more killer job in heels for her! :) Next time we get together, we should definitely celebrate.

Yeah. I can't tell you how proud I am of the way she's turned her life around in the last few years. Now she's talking about going to law school when she graduates, and while I've no idea where the money is coming for that, it's exciting to know she's looking so closely at her future :D

(The bone building I knew about from my days in archaeology. It's a good thing, really. You want your bones to thicken up if you start lifting weights -- snapping your arm would be a bad thing -- it's just that I'm not supposed to be exercising those bones so much. Oops.)

If I'd stop to think about this, I would have realized it, too. Gymnasts have increidbly dense bones for much the same reason (the heavy, constant impact of landings takes care of that for them). Unfortunately for people like Megan, it can also lead to fused bones in critical joint areas, like wrists, knees and ankles.

Poor Jerry. :( This flu is the pits and I know how misery-making it is.

If you end up hanging your show this Saturday, I'd love to tag along. Whether or not you need me -- I'll be there for moral support. Also? I want to take pics of your stuff in situ.

I think the idea of wine is a good one. Yeah, run it by Jerry but he serves it to clients while they're getting done so I really don't think he'll have any problems with it.

If you're up to it -- and if Greg is up to it -- I'd love to go and have dinner afterwards. We could call it all a "maybe" plan -- if Jerry is ready, if y'all are well enough to hang stuff, and if y'all have enough energy to go out to dinner, we will. ;-)

Gymnasts must have very interesting skeletons. I never got to study them (really too modern), sadly. Fused bones, though, sounds very painful. There's a reason there so many little tiny bones with bizarre and irregular articular surfaces in those areas!

Ok, just now heard from Jerry and we've set the date for 4pm on the 3rd of March. He said the other artist can't make it 'till then, but actually, I'm really glad. Greg is barely hanging on, and like I said, I'm back on the downslide, so hopefully by the 3rd we'll ALL be healthy and raring to go :D

Since I'm not going to be at the Salon this weekend, I think it would be smarter if I stayed home and as close to the bed as possible. I'm so tired of being sick and with spring coming (isn't the weather today spectauclar??) I am antsy to get back on my feet and out into it! :D

We would love to see you on the 3rd, I think it would be a lot of fun both to have you there and to take you to dinner afterwards :D :D

We would love to see you on the 3rd

Oops, I meant, if you're free :D

Of course I am! I have no social life. :)

4 p.m. on the 3rd it is! I think it is smart to rest up, too. 99% of them time when I'm sick, the only thing that really helps is rest. Pain in the ass but there it is.

I don't know yet about the weather today. It certainly *looks* spectacular out my window. I'm looking forward to hopping in the car after work and putting the top down. :)

You know, it isn't necessary to buy me dinner every time we get together.

And I'm such a dork, too... I forgot that I DO have to be in the city this weekend... the 3rd is the annual art auction at Starbucks, so I need to bring some pieces up there that I want to donate. If I'm not feeling like complete crap, you wanna meet, if only for coffee?

Absolutely! Just let me know where and when, hon. :)

A pain in the butt-but worth the hassle for me. I have TMJ and I need one as well. I hate it with a passion but I am glad it's helping with it. It really does work. I almost died getting fitted for it-lol-as it's a horrid process, but I am grateful for it now!

I've been reading that unaddressed clenching can lead to TMJ problems so I'm grateful not to be at that stage yet. The person who fit me was very gentle and careful but finding the right tray to use was unfun and having my teeth coated in the hardening gum was no thrill, either.

I'm glad to hear that it has worked for you. I'm feeling better about my unexpected $400 expenditure.

Yeah, the molding thing made me gag-alot! LOL. I just remember the dentist and the aide-telling me it's ok, it's ok,you're doing fine. Then I gagged and the aide was like look-see that up there-frantically I might add? Bwhahaa! I didn't get sick but it was a close call!
I have had TMJ for about 10 years-and the night guard was a godsend for me. Not only did it help-but I no longer wake up with sore jaws. That was the worst-it always hurt when I woke up. So I am glad they are being pro-active for you! ;-P

Yipes! OK, I'm suddenly thinking that my fitting was a walk in the park. :| I didn't enjoy having plastic things shoved in my mouth and the gel thing hardening around my teeth was really cold and unpleasant but there wasn't any gagging or frantic-making commentary.

I do love my dentist to a thousand pieces. He's been a wonderful, wonderful dentist.

I had a hard time with it-for sure. I guess I get that wonderful gag-reflex thing. It was a close call there towards the end of the fitting! LOL. I also felt bad for the dentist and his aide. What a wonderful job to have to go through all that huh?
But my dentist is awesome-for all that. I have been to him for close to 13 years now-and after several other dentists prior-I've found he is tops with me. He's got a wicked sense of humor and he is gentle-at least as much as he possibley can be. I don't relish the idea of going to the dentist, but he makes it les stressful!
*Hugs*

A lack of a gag reflex is useful in more than one situation. ;-)

You really couldn't pay me to be a dentist or to work on people's teeth. Nobody is ever happy to see you and you typically have to cause them some level of discomfort.

Finding a good dentist is crucial. He and my gynecologist are the two docs I would never ever ever ever give up. I've already told him that he might as well not bother saving money because he is not allowed to retire so long as I have teeth. :)

*G* True, very true ;-P
I wouldn't want that job either-no thanks! Plus you know that there will be others like myself who might actually throw up! Not the best way to start a day on the job let me tell you!
I agree-I am not letting mine retire either! He's actully about 10 years older than me-so i am getting a bit nervous! LMAO. I mean I just found him not that long ago damn it! He can not retire! Ever. *Nods* ;-P

I LOVE that cap of Jensen. *sigh* Excellent icon. :)

*G* This one was made for me-I asked for that caption ;-P hehehe! he never ceases to amaze me! ;-P

I have been wearing a night guard (we call it a bite splint) since 1991. I also clench my teeth at night, and it was causing me to wake up with headaches. The bite splint helped to align my bite, so that I am no longer stressing the muscles and tendons in an "inappropriate way," as well as keeping my jaw slightly open while I am asleep. This, I believe, subconsciously reminds me not to clench. Of course, clenching against plastic is much better for me than clenching against my own teeth, just from a wear and tear standpoint.

As far as adjusting the bite, it took many trips back to the dentist to continually adjust the bite splint by grinding away sections. As my bite changed, these minimal adjustments helped to relax my jaw. The headaches went awaay after about 6 weeks of adjustments. I recall having to wear the thing both day and night for the first week or two. It certainly took some getting used to, but now I hardly notice it. The molding process is *nothing* like the actual insert. :)

I just had a new one made (the first one lasted for about 15 years). This one has a thin rubbery layer on the inside, that is supposed to be more comfortable as well as kinder to the teeth.

Wow -- I could bite alignment corrections, too? That would be cool because my bite could use a little correction. (My cousin had far worse; they broke her jaw and reset it one year over C-mas.) OK - so this really is mostly a behavioral change tool and an added benefit of cushioning my teeth? That's cool. It's a default position for me to clench my jaw so I obviously need to learn a new behavior.

The fitting and grinding thing sounds awful. I always pitied those kids in school with braces, having to go have their bands tightened and having people mess with their mouths all the time.

I had the braces thing as well, and the retooling of the bite splint is *nothing* next to the retightening of those bands and wires. Ugh!

They don't grind on the bite splint while it's in your mouth, in case I left you with that impression. You bite down on paper with colored wax on it and grind a bit to leave marks on the plastic mouth piece. Where it is hitting unevenly, the dentist will grind away until you are hitting evenly. That helps to align your bite a bit. It's not as drastic as braces, since it works more on your jaw than on your teeth, but it does help.

Oh - that doesn't sound too awful. I really don't like them coming at my mouth with a drill. :|

I've had three nightguards, and hated each one with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. Does that sum it up? ;)

I let a TMJ specialist convince me to try again, that they're "better" now, but it's the same old piece of crappy (yet extremely expensive) plastic. In my case, my front teeth are crooked so I'm unable to wear the newer type that just fits on the front teeth and doesn't fill my mouth with a load of plastic. My mouth is on the small side, so it makes it even more uncomfortable -- I kept feeling like I was gagging at night because it crowded my tongue too much, even after several adjustments.

However, I would recommend trying one of the SleepRight Select nightguards. You don't need a prescription or a fitting from a dentist, and it's much softer than the Rx version, so it's not as harsh to bite on. Also one heck of a lot cheaper. They're under $50 at DrugStore.com (which is part of Amazon). I wish I'd known about them before I had the last guard made, especially since my insurance refused to pay for it and I'm left with over $1,000 worth of useless plastic.

I've been dealing with TMJ for over 15 years now. I do have some bone growth because of it, but it's ages away from the point of requiring surgery. That's usually the absolute last resort for a TMJ patient.

You might also want to check with your family doctor about a prescription for something to help you sleep. I'm currently on Neurontin (and just an FYI, the generic version was like taking a placebo for me) and Clonazepam.

It's common to assume TMJ is a dysfunction of the jaw, but it's often a sign of an underlying sleep disorder. In my case, I was waking up several times during the night, either having to go to the bathroom or feeling like I was starving to death. Turns out I wasn't going into deep sleep, so my brain still thought I was "awake" and wasn't slowing down my digestive or urinary systems like it would during normal sleep.

Hope this helps, but if you have any more questions, just let me know. I can probably tell you more than you ever wanted to know about TMJ, guards, etc. ;)

Oh boy. :(

$1,000?!? Did they make you an upper and a lower one? I paid for mine at the same time I paid for the usual cleaning and yearly x-rays and I think it was about $590 or so. I'm just getting an upper guard, though.

I'm lucky that I don't have TMJ. My reading indicated that the clenching I do could result in a TMJ disorder, though, so now I'm a bit concerned about that. I would like to do what I can to avoid it. I'm really ignorant on this, though, as it's not anything I've paid any attention to heretofore. I have a steep learning curve ahead of me, I can see.

Did they do a lot of adjusting and grinding on your guards? Did the guards just fail to alleviate your symptoms or did they make them worse? My mouth is small - they had use a kid's tray to make my mold - so that's not good. Feeling as if I'm choking doesn't sound like a good way to sleep. My teeth are naturally straight, though, so maybe I won't have as many problems?

I'm a little concerned that this is a night guard but I know that I clench my teeth all day, too. It's my "default" jaw position. Hell, I clench my teeth when I'm happy and have done so from a very young age. Maybe a night time thing will be enough to break my behavior but I'm a little skeptical of that.

Mine is just a lower one (the last two were just upper), but the $1000 cost included the visit for the molds and two follow-up visits for adjustments. Office visits aren't cheap.

The last dentist who tried to fit me for a guard literally threw out his first attempt. My jaw "floats" a bit and I never bite down the same way twice, which makes it even harder to fit.

I have a small mouth, though they usually use adult molds and x-ray film, it pushes me to the limit.

The TMJ specialist had to do a lot of adjusting to the bit that goes behind my teeth in the front, because it's very cramped and because of how my top teeth are aligned, I often felt like I was biting the tip of my tongue. It's better now, but I'm still not happy with it. That's one reason I like the cheap non-prescription version -- there's nothing but a plastic band that goes along the gumline, so nothing interferes with my tongue.

You can wear a guard more than just at night, but you're not supposed to wear it 24/7, so check with your dentist. You might try wearing it as soon as you get home to get the maximum benefit. The idea behind the guard is not necessarily to prevent grinding or clenching directly, but to retrain your jaw to go into a "relaxed" position.

Wow -- I love my dentist even more now. The charges I paid cover the subsequent fittings, too. :| I always knew I loved my dentist, I guess I just didn't know how much.

Sounds as if you need something made out of rubber? But that might not be rigid enough? That really sucks. :( Makes sense to use the cheaper one, though, if they can't fit you properly. I'm not sure I really need an expensive appliance rather than a cheaper OTC type but I guess I'm going to find out. :|

Well, if it can retrain me, I'll be impressed. It has been a lifelong habit for me so it's ingrained.

There's a huge difference between a dentist and a TMJ specialist, and specialists always cost more. But unfortunately, most general dentists don't know much about the treatment of TMJ beyond making a guard.

I really think meds play an important role in treatment and most dentists just treat in their area, if you'll pardon the pun, and not the whole syndrome. I'm not saying I'm pain free, but without my meds I wouldn't be able to function 90% of the time.

I posted about my full treatment in my LJ, so if you want the gory details, it's under the "health" tag starting back around last October. The primary treatment included getting four syringes worth of anesthetic injected into my scalp to "reboot" the occipital nerves and cut back on the pain. That might be incentive to use your block instead of ending up with full-blown TMJ like me. ;)

Hmm. The only thing I know is that my dentist thought I should have one also because I grind and clench my teeth. They are supposed to help. I just wasn't up to coughing up the $300.00 or so bucks for one, so I haven't gotten one yet. Sorry I'm not much help. If you get one, please let me know how it works out for you.

Have you tried one of those guards you can buy at the drug store? I didn't know they existed and, considering the pain I was in, I didn't really question as I should have. If you grind and/or clench your teeth, you might want to try out a cheap one and see if that helps. Grinding is very detrimental to your health and can cause your teeth to crack. I've seen the effects on teeth of people who lived in stone age societies; the stone bits in their food from using stones to grind really, really ground down their teeth. You want to avoid that.

I will definitely let you know how my tooth guard works. Or doesn't.