Diagnosed By Dentist With Grinding Of Teeth

[MikeOhio]

I've known myself to be Celiac for 2-3 years. it's only recently I've taken major steps to be completely gluten free. My dentist has diagnosed me with having grinding of my teeth at night and said I should get a mouth guard. Could the damage he's attributing to teeth grinding be associated with my Celiac disease? I guess the enamel is damaged. it helps to not brush my teeth for as long, at least with the pian and sensitivity, but I never really went overboard with brushing my teeth in the first place. I don't want to get a mouth guard which may be uncomfortable if it won't help. Plus we really don't have a lot of money to be buying them on a regular basis.

On a side note if I ever meet anyone with the disease that's not gluten free I'm going to tell them-just don't eat gluten. I've had a cluster of health problems. I didn't know where to go to get information when I was first diagnosed and my mother who I live with wasn't completely cooperative. She's being more cooperative as things go on, but I can't help but think, maybe I'd be healthy now if I'd been gluten free from the beginning.

[1desperateladysaved]

[Many of us have the enamel off our teeth. I have heard that the body thinks it is gluten and attacks it! I had braces (at 17) my dentist blamed the missing enamel on not brushing well enough when I had braces. But I brushed every time I ate, so I thought that was queer. I have never been able to tell my dentist anything.

My husband sometimes grinds his teeth. I think that may wear out the teeth in a characteristic way. If I catch him grinding, I give him a knock. I have him drop his jaw. He is quickly back to sleep with no more grinding.

I will want to watch this and see if anyone else grinds their teeth. Incidentaly, if my husband has Celiac problems they are unknown.

[ravenwoodglass]

Previous poster is correct. The damage from teeth grinding is obvious to a dentist. It wears the teeth down on the biting surfaces. I used to be a grinder and trained myself to keep my tongue or cheek between my teeth. I really should have gotten a mouth guard instead. I would give the guard a try. If it is too uncomfortable then drop it's use. You may find after you have been gluten free for a bit the grinding let's up but not sure about that.

Celiac damages the enamel on all sides of the teeth not just on the biting surface. What I always heard as a youngster was I was drinking too much soda. Only thing was we were poor and almost never drank anything other than water. Soda was reserved for stomach issue, flat ginger ale or coke.

[ndw3363]

I too was told to get a mouth guard. But you are right...even with insurance, mine was going to be almost $400!! I decided against it. Plus, my chiropractor said that longterm use of a mouth guard can cause other problems (misalignment of the jaw). I read an interesting fact - the only time your teeth should touch is when you are chewing. When I think about this, I'm more aware of my grinding. I was able to stop for a very long time - I've only recently starting grinding again. Maybe it's coincidence, but I believe I'm developing other food allergies presently - been feeling awful lately and my diet hasn't changed. Maybe there is a connection.

[MikeOhio]

I just wondered if maybe the gluten damage could be mistaken for the grinding. I guess I'm probably stuck with buying an OTC Grind Guard. The one in my price range one person on one site said was bulky and uncomfortable but on Amazon got a lot of positive reviews.

I hope I have at least average size teeth so the bulkiness of the device isn't too much.

[1974girl]

My non-celiac husband has TMJ and clinches his teeth. We didn't want to pay $400 for a mouth guard. (He was waking up with headaches) We bought one at Wal-Greens for $20. It has worked WONDERS for him. They have different price ranges. I think the most expensive is $20-$25. That's the one we got and it really helps! I don't think it is celiac related.

[Looking for answers]

I would definitely get a night guard. I bought mine from Amazon (they have them at CVS too) for $25. It's called Sleep Right and I got it because it's BPA free. It takes a few nights to get used to...pretty aweful at first, but now I can't sleep without one. For a long while, I refused to listen to the dentist and now I have several cracked molars and already have two crowns and will need a third. That can get really expensive and painful.