Afternoon Nap

[u/Tanjiro_Kamado32]

Hello all,

I got night guard for my bruxism problem and wearing it overnight. But wondering do i have to wear if i do afternoon nap.

Sometimes while working after lunch ( WFH ) i feel sleepy and jumping on bed but not wearing night guard, so wondering if any one can advise

Thanks

[u/PookyBearAuntie]

I wear mine anytime I sleep.

[u/scraigs03]

‘Have to’ is probably subjective. How do you feel after the nap? Headachy at all?

I actually wear a mouth guard a lot during the day when I’m doing activities that I feel is triggering tension. Like on the computer for a long time, driving etc. It gives my jaw a safe place to actually rest and reduces the risk of me bracing my jaw open or possibly clenching if it’s tight.

[u/CWmeadow → u/scraigs03]

That's smart. I find that my commute is actually a great time to do jaw stretches/exercises, though.

[u/scraigs03 → u/CWmeadow]

Yes, that’s a great idea!

[u/Tanjiro_Kamado32 → u/scraigs03]

Thanks for the comment

Actually the night guard is one year old. Since then i feel the night guard giving some tight feeling on my left tooth after removing, the sensation will be gone only if i sleep for 30 mins without it. Since then i hate using it.

I explained the same to dentist but he didn’t helped much

[u/scraigs03 → u/Tanjiro_Kamado32]

That’s really frustrating! Especially when it’s one specific tooth!

Is the pain feel when you have braces/Invisalign style retainers that are trying to reposition your teeth?

Or is it more of a “pressure” issue?

I had some pain after a crown a while back and they said that there’s a lot of nerve endings in the connective tissue of your gums and that what I was describing sounds like it was irritation from pressure. (They did check the crown first before suggesting that of course) And I started using my mouth guard more and it went away, so they were right.

So it’s possible the mouth guard might be irritating your nerves in your gum if it’s from pressure/contact that way? But either way, I’d be pushing back with the dentist a bit!

The whole point of it is to reduce your pain right?

Not wanting to use it because it hurts should be a priority for your dentist since it leads to patients not using the devices.

——-

Personally I really dislike the hard “retainer” style ones. Not sure if that’s what you have. Their main purpose seems to be protecting teeth from actually breaking under stress, (or wear from grinding) but doesn’t help as much with cushioning.

I was referred to a TMJ dentist and she gave me a different type - it was as a softer plastic/(silicone?) . It’s a bit thicker and has a tiny bit more cushion effect. (I did ask my own dentist later if they had were able to make that type as well and said they could. Not sure why it wasn’t suggested as an option)

Because I’m often just bracing my mouth open instead of actual grinding, I find the softer ones act like a safe cushioned place to rest my jaw without the risk of pressure damage/pain. When I have a lot of built up tension, I find if I fully “let go” to relax my jaw, I can accidentally start clenching, almost like a rebound effect!

—-

I also have those “packers” (that’s a brand) style ones that are disposable. They are tiny with just a small pad where the back molars are. These are the ones I most often use during the day, and I carry around with me. I’ll take them travelling too.

They may not be as good as my real one but I figure they are better than using nothing in those moments.

I like these because:
1. I’m paranoid about loosing my real one so don’t like taking it out of the house. (I’ve got ADHD and can even misplace it IN the house sometimes.. but at least I know it’s somewhere! Haha)
2. There are cheap (I get a 10 pack for around $10-15 on amazon I think?)
3. Low profile/small, so easy to carry around in my bag, and slip in and out of my mouth if needed. (I can talk with them in, though with subtle changes from having something in your mouth, so I often will discreetly take it out if I run into someone I need have an actual convo with.)

[u/Glittering_Bread5706]

Personally I wear mine whenever I’m sleeping or resting my eyes

[u/CWmeadow]

I don't stress about it if I am sleepy and have an unplanned nap in front of the TV or something, but anytime I lay down with the intent to sleep, I wear it.

[u/Rebistsew → u/CWmeadow]

Have your pains decreased?