I've had a similar experience with night guards—they're great for protecting your teeth, but they don't really tackle the root cause. My dentist mentioned stress management too, and honestly, meditation before bed helped me noticeably reduce the grinding. Still happens occasionally though, especially during stressful periods. I'm curious if anyone's tried other methods like acupuncture or physical therapy...do those alternative approaches make any difference?
I feel ya on the meditation—it helped me too, but didn't completely stop the grinding. I tried acupuncture once, mostly out of curiosity (and desperation, lol)... honestly, it was relaxing but didn't notice much difference with the teeth. Maybe worth a shot though?
"honestly, it was relaxing but didn't notice much difference with the teeth."
Yeah, I've been hesitant about acupuncture too... needles make me kinda nervous, even if they're tiny. Meditation helped a bit for me as well, but my dentist keeps mentioning a night guard. I'm just worried it'll be uncomfortable or hard to sleep with. Has anyone actually tried sleeping with one regularly—is it annoying or do you eventually get used to it?
I was skeptical about the night guard too, thought it'd be impossible to sleep with something in my mouth. But honestly, after a week or so, I barely noticed it anymore. It felt super weird at first, not gonna lie... but now it's like second nature. Plus, waking up without jaw pain is pretty nice. Meditation never really did much for me personally, but everyone's different I guess. Have you tried any jaw exercises or stretches? Heard some folks swear by those too.
Totally relate to that initial weirdness with the night guard...felt like sleeping with a hockey puck at first, lol. But yeah, it definitely gets easier. Glad you're noticing less jaw pain—that's a big win. Jaw stretches helped me a bit too, especially in the mornings. Worth a shot if you're curious, but sounds like you're already on a good track!
