# Help me stop grinding my teeth?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stop-grinding-my-teeth/254802>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 12, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stop-grinding-my-teeth/254802 "2004-07-12T23:15:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stop-grinding-my-teeth/254802/21 "2004-07-15T05:09:19Z")

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> [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#):
>
> What’s that I hear? Alarm bells?  
> So you’re on anti-depressants? Unless you have a crazy doctor, I’m going to presume you have some kind of mental illness, correct me if I’m wrong.  
> So it seems like it’s a reaction from stress? Find some way to just relax, IANAPORAH so you probably know better what calms you down the best. Of course, this only works while you’re awake. But not being upset in any way before you go to bed, might help. I second the $7 sports mouthguard you can buy from the chemist.  
> Go take a bath 😉

_sigh_ I have an anxiety disorder. That’s all. And stress, well, no more than usual.

I’ll take a look and see if I don’t have any luck with one of the cheaper type guards, before I go more expensive.

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**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-stop-grinding-my-teeth/254802/22 "2004-07-15T21:15:17Z")

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I’ve always been a very tense person. Many years ago, my dentist tried to talk me into a night-guard because my nocturnal teeth-clenching was causing headaches. (I don’t generally _grind_ my teeth, just clench my jaws really hard.) I started sticking my tongue between my teeth as I went to sleep, sort of wedging it between my teeth & gum & cheek. I also started paying a lot of attention during the day, and stuck the tip of my tongue between when I noticed I was doing it. It took a while, but I eventually stopped clenching my teeth. I just clenched my jaw muscles, with my teeth about 1/4 inch apart. 😃 I’m going to have to work on it again, though. I’ve been very stressed for a very long time now, and I’ve noticed that my old, bad habit has come back.

Alternatively, the dentist put my teenager into a night-guard to continue work on TMJ problems after she got her braces off. She loves it and no longer wakes up with headaches.

I also know someone who’s getting ready to spend some major, _major_ bucks to rebuild all of her teeth, which she’s almost completely destroyed due to bruxism. So if your solution doesn’t work, try something else or go to the dentist.

Good luck!

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