Reviews: I mentioned to my dentist that my jaw hurts and I realized that sometimes I clench and grind my jaw. He said it is no big deal and not to worry about it, but my jaw hurts. Is there anything I can do about it? It seems like a big deal from where I’m sitting.
Tracy
Dear Tracy,
Grinding your teeth IS a big deal.
The first thing I’m going to say is you need to get a different dentist. This is not only a big deal, it is a HUGE deal. First, the pain you are experiencing alone is enough to do something about it. But, in addition, you are slowly grinding down your teeth. Eventually, you will wear them down to nubs. If that happens, the procedure to deal with that is a full mouth reconstruction. That requires getting a dental crown on every tooth. While proactive treatment will only bring in a couple of hundred dollars. A full-mouth reconstruction is a cost of $30, 000 or more. Plus, you are at a much greater risk to develop TMJ disorder.
There are a few things that can be done to help this. First, you’ll want to get out of pain. Believe it or not, some Botox can help with this, as well as any migraines you may be experiencing as a result.
The next thing you’ll want to do is protect your teeth. While it is easy enough to notice when you’re grinding your teeth during the day. While you’re sleeping is when most of this likely occurs. I suggest you have a nightguard made. This will protect your teeth from grinding and clenching while you sleep.
However, I don’t think your dentist is the best one to handle this. I’d like you to see a dentist with TMJ training. They can help get to the root cause of all this and solve the source of the problem.
This isn’t something that is taught in general dental school, so you’ll want a dentist who has invested in post-doctoral training. For instance, Dr. Delaune did advanced training in TMJ Disorder through the well-respected Dawson Academy.
This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.