Has anyone had a problem with grinding their teeth, did it do damage

Question

I've been under a lot of stress lately and have gotten into the habit of clenching my teeth together, and I don't know if I'm doing it at night or not. Has anyone else had this issue and had it end up causing problems or damage to their teeth? I don't think that there's been any or too much wear so far and I don't know if I should get a night guard or not. Any experiences?

Answer 1

(EDS)

EMOTIONAL DENTURE STRESS

By: The Denture Pro.

Copyright - 1980

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The number of denture wearers who suffer from (EDS), Emotional Denture Stress

is far greater than those in the dental profession realize. Even today many dental

professionals do not recognize (EDS) or know what to do about it when they do figure out

that something emotional is affecting the patient.

(EDS) is usually exhibited by one or more of several different symptoms.  The most

common symptoms are red rash gum tissue, sore spots, loss of gum bone, fatty gum tissue,

loose dentures. Not every symptom is the results of a patient suffering (EDS), but almost

every patient who is suffering from (EDS) will have most all of the symptoms.

(EDS), Emotional Denture Stress is created by problems related to one of the

following areas. Health, Marriage, Employment, Money, s*x and Self Esteem. Let me give

you some examples of (EDS) in some of those areas.



It may be that the patient has a very close loved one who has a terminal illness and

because of that they stay very emotionally affected...A health problem doesn’t have to be

one that affects the patient personally.

It could be that the patient really dislikes where they work or someone they work

with and when it’s time to go to work they begin to get up tight emotionally. It could be

that a patient is dealing with the fact that they or someone close to them is in sever financial

striates and any number of situations could exist that is sexual in nature. Then of coarse

you have the patient who has great concern as to their own feelings of being a worthwhile

person....that could be due to abuse from a spouse, family member or friends. In any event

dealing with one or more of the above mentioned situations can cause a great deal of

problems for a denture wearer.

This is how it works.....let’s look at it as though it were a large clock on the wall.

Let’s say that you get up in the morning and what ever it is that causes your stress to start

up begins. We call that 12:00 on the stress clock. Between 12:00 and 3:00 on the stress clock

(which could be hours or even days) the stress you feel causes you to clinch your teeth

together, over and over and over. Between 3:00 and 6:00 on the stress clock the pressure

from clinching or grinding presses the denture into the gum tissue and that pressure forces

the fluid in the gum tissues to be squeezed out and into the floor of the mouth. Between

6:00 and 9:00 the pressing of the denture into the gums had forced the tissue fluids out and

the gums shrink making the denture loose. The lack of tissue fluids allows the tissue to be

forced against the hard denture on one side and the hard bone on the other. This constant

pressure causes sore spots and eventually bone shrinkage..

NOW....when the shrinkage, sore spots and looseness gets to be to much the patient

shows up for treatment of those conditions at the dental professionals office. Between 9:00

and 12:00  on the Stress Clock the dental professional trys a number of treatment plans to

restore the patients dentures to painless well functioning dental appliances......HOWEVER,

if the true cause of the (EDS) is not discovered and dealt with, the Stress Clock will begin

ticking again and all the same old problems will return or stay as is.....What’s more, there

is “no” dental treatment plan or service that can over come the affects of “Emotional

Denture Stress”.

It’s very sad to have a patient that can’t be helped due to the fact hat they suffer

from (EDS) and either doesn’t know it or doesn’t have the courage to deal with it. I’ve seen

a number of patients who found out about their (EDS) through getting their first dentures

and through realizing it existed took steps to correct the issues, in some cases it took

professional counseling. Then there were those who through conversations on a private

basis realized they needed professional help but didn’t have the courage to seek it out,

usually those were abuse or drug related situations.

The bottom line is that any dental professional worth his or her salt should be able

to recognize they are dealing with a person suffering from (EDS) and after realizing what is

going on should be very straight forward with the patient and explain what their options

are.....and the bottom most line is that unresolved “EDS” Emotional Denture Stress creates

denture problems that “NO” dental professional can overcome by adjusting, grinding,

relining or even replacing the denture.......you can’t cure a disease by covering up the

symptom.

If you have questions regarding this information you may Email

<[e-mail]>

Answer 2

I have that same problem and I highly suggest getting a mouth guard if you have insurance. I lost 3mm off my teeth and it makes them look a lot shorter than they should be...I have also lost fillings because of the grinding...sometimes I don't even realize I am doing it....definitely go to the dentist.

Answer 3

clenching and grinding your teeth does indeed cause damage to your teeth, it occurs over time, and if you think that you are grinding your teeth and clenching while you sleep...it's a good idea to consult your dentist about a bite guard.