# How did you stop grinding your teeth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 2, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-grinding-your-teeth/192549 "2003-08-02T14:36:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anal\_Scurvy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@Anal\_Scurvy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anal_Scurvy)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-grinding-your-teeth/192549/1 "2003-08-02T14:36:43Z")
Has anyone here had the problem of grinding their teeth? I do it in my sleep, but every now and then I find myself doing it when I’m awake. I don’t know why I started, but stopping is proving pretty hard. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-grinding-your-teeth/192549/2 "2003-08-02T16:07:49Z")
I also grind my teeth. As far as I know, there’s no way to stop. You have to go to the dentist and they’ll make you a “mouth guard” that you wear at night to protect your teeth. Believe me, you need a mouth guard or you’ll wear down your teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-grinding-your-teeth/192549/3 "2003-08-02T16:10:27Z")
I can only testify to having had some grinding done by the dentist. Supposedly that cured my doing so in my sleep. At least I’ve not been aware of doing it any more. The dentist told me that rough spots I had were why I was grinding them in the first place. Made sense. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-grinding-your-teeth/192549/4 "2003-08-02T16:47:53Z")
I did the same thing. Mostly when I slept (my ex-wife said I woke her up) and at work when I’m really grinding (no pun) to get a drawing done. But I’m 90% cured. I just push my tongue forward, into the path of my teeth. With a little effort and training, I’ve mostly stopped doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Anal\_Scurvy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@Anal\_Scurvy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anal_Scurvy)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-grinding-your-teeth/192549/5 "2003-08-02T17:07:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by if6was9 \* > \*\*But I’m 90% cured. I just push my tongue forward, into the path of my teeth. With a little effort and training, I’ve mostly stopped doing it. \*\* My tongue has been killing me for a week. It seems I’m pretty determined to grind at all costs. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-grinding-your-teeth/192549/6 "2003-08-02T17:18:13Z")
Well, I used to grind my teeth horribly. Day, night, pretty much constantly. I tried nightguards to no avail. Bruxism can lead to problems with TMJ, and can be symptomatic of a malocclusive bite. Nightguards really can’t fix this, they just keep your teeth from wearing down any further. Currently, I’m in braces to fix this problem as well as straighten a couple teeth in the process. I’ve had my braces on for just over a month, and already I can tell a huge difference. **if6was9** , pushing your tongue in such a way can actually shift your teeth out over time and make things worse. I would advise checking with your dentist or orthodontist instead. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-you-stop-grinding-your-teeth/192549/7 "2003-08-02T17:38:23Z")
I found that taking lots of calcium pills cured the problem for me. It seems to be the body’s reaction to not getting enough calcium. It takes a couple of days for it to work, but once it does, I stop grinding my teeth.