Posted by anna on January 13, 2000, at 21:13:41
In reply to Teeth Grinding , posted by Julie on January 12, 2000, at 21:56:22
> I take Effexor (225mg XR) which I know can cause bruxism (teeth grinding). Though I hadn't noticed myself grinding, I recently found that my front teeth were loose and my jaw was making popping noises. So I went to the dentist. He said (surprise!) I grind my teeth, and need a mouth guard and all sorts of other expensive realignment stuff, to the tune of 2,000 dollars. Now, I don't make much money, and am not sure I trust this particular dentist's integrity. I'd rather figure out ways to stop grinding without spending a zillion dollars on it. So: medication-taking (or not) grinders out there: do y'all have any helpful anti-grinding tips? Thanks.
DON'T SPEND THE MONEY !!!!!
A story....I have always been a grinder, whether on or off meds. A few years ago I was getting terrific pain in my jaw and neck, assummed it was due to the grind, and my dentist sent me to a "specialist". When I entered the office I was handed several brochures on this special dentist, and asked for a 3 figure check before I could even get into the main waiting room. It was also commented by the receptionist that my employer had great dental insurance. The great dentist pushed my head this way and that, commented on my "lousy" orthadonture, "poor" dental work, blah blah, and determined that I needed a $1,000 dental appliance for my grinding, plus some other type of work. He perscribed a muscle relaxant for the pain. Something told me to call my internist before I filled the script...my doc then had me in to see him immediately....and within a week, I'd had an MRI and been seen by an orthodpeadic surgeon. I still was a grinder, but my bad pain was due to a herniated disc in my neck--which physical therapy relieved. Oh, yeah, I switched to another regular dentist, he made up a white plasctic mouthguard for maybe $125--and I 've used it ever since.
poster:anna
thread:18850
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000112/msgs/18909.html