I have been grinding my teeth for years. Likely before I had teeth. I have woken up people staying in another room with my grinding. I hold my tension in my jaw, neck and shoulders. And I've had tension. I'm all about tension.
Recently I went to a new dentist. She took one look at me trying to open my mouth and asked about my grinding teeth. She told me I have worn my back teeth to almost nothing and immediately sent me to a physiotherapist for my jaw. I was hesitant. It seemed to be an overreaction. I mean, I've been grinding my teeth for years. Surely it's not that big of a deal.
The first appointment of physio was awesome. I learned that my top and bottom teeth are not supposed to touch when I am relaxed. I learned that I can actually open my mouth way wider than I thought. Now, I'm a person who can fit her fist in her mouth, so this is really funny to me. But at the beginning of the session, I could open my mouth 35mm and at the end, I could open it 50mm.
By the end of this, I will likely be able to put a whole Big Mac in my mouth. It's going to be awesome!
Oh man, my brother is a serious grinder of teeth.
ReplyDeleteMy mom's friend told her once that grinding your teeth is a sign that you have worms. My brother refused to take the herbal stuff that's supposed to get rid of worms, but this woman swears it cured her kid.
I've never been a grinder, but I do clench my teeth in my sleep.