Guest Post: Confessions from a Grinder

I confess… I’m a grinder. I grind hard and all night long….

Not that kind of grinder!!!!!! I grind my teeth.

I have always had this problem — even as a child. As a teenager, I suffered from jaw pain, constant headaches, and the wear on my teeth was noticeable. I tried over-the-counter night guards, sleep aids, prescription muscle relaxers, etc. You name it; I tried it. I even saw my ENT thinking I was having the worst ear ache of my life just to be told it was TMJ 😩.

But it wasn’t just my jaw that suffered. The years of grinding and clinching really wore down my teeth. I noticed the change, and became a bit self conscious of my smile. More recently, teeth sensitivity became an issue. I had to seek help!

I sat down in the dental chair and finally spilled it all to Dr. Green. I was ready to do WHATEVER it took to relieve my jaw pain, get rid of the sensitivity (I missed eating ice cream), and feel good about my smile! (Oh, did I mention I have dental anxiety?) I was nervous, but I was ready to get started!

Ultimately, a SMILE MAKEOVER was planned… Botox for the TMJ, a custom night guard to stop the wear on my new smile,  and to address my dental anxiety, I was offered noise canceling headphones (I don’t want to hear the drill!), laughing gas (nitrous oxide) to help me relax during treatment, and a weighted blanket (who knew those were so comfortable?)!

NOW- TMJ pain is manageable (thank you BOTOX and my night guard), and I smile a little bigger these days since my Smile Makeover.