11 replies to this topic

[j03]

Anyone have this problem? Have you had any luck treating it with supplements?

I get clenching in my jaw during the day, but don't grind at night. I found some relief with Rhodiola Rosea, but I built up a tolerance, and am going to stop taking it for a couple weeks. But it surprisingly reduced the clenching to a bearable level (about half of what it used to be in my anecdotal estimation). Since i stopped it's back full blown.

Anyone know of any other options?

Edited by j033, 15 January 2009 - 11:04 AM.

[4eva]

Supplements that increase choline may make the problem worse.

Are you taking enough magnesium?

[lynx]

Buspar

[tedsez]

I've been clenching and grinding in my sleep all my adult life -- so hard that I need to have my dentist readjust my mouth guard every few months.

It gets worse when I'm tired and stressed -- but, ironically, it also seems to get worse under good conditions, when I'm sleeping more deeply. Anything that increases my serotonin levels (such as Sam-e) seems to make it worse, too. I take a calcium-magnesium-zinc supplement and a very small dose of melatonin before bed, but that doesn't seem to affect it one way or the other.

I'd love to hear about any real solutions for this, because I haven't found one.

[rwac]

I've been clenching and grinding in my sleep all my adult life -- so hard that I need to have my dentist readjust my mouth guard every few months.

It gets worse when I'm tired and stressed -- but, ironically, it also seems to get worse under good conditions, when I'm sleeping more deeply. Anything that increases my serotonin levels (such as Sam-e) seems to make it worse, too. I take a calcium-magnesium-zinc supplement and a very small dose of melatonin before bed, but that doesn't seem to affect it one way or the other.

I'd love to hear about any real solutions for this, because I haven't found one.

I bet the cal-mag-zinc has equal amounts of Calcium and Magnesium.
We need to change the cal-mag balance.

Perhaps you might try taking upto 200-400 mg of Magnesium in addition to the cal-mag-zinc ?
start with 200mg of Mg at night and increase it after a while.

My bruxism went away when I started taking Magnesium.

[niner]

I wasn't even aware of my bruxism until it was too late. It had to be happening at night, since I'm pretty sure I'd have been aware of it if I was awake. By the time I realised it was a problem, I had already worn through the enamel on a number of teeth. They are just screwed now, and I'll be looking at some expensive repairs. The thing that strikes me about it was how stealthy it all was; I just had no idea whatsoever that it was happening. Having a clown for a dentist was surely part of the problem; he should have alerted me to the wear before it got out of control. This is kinda OT, since I don't have any suggestions for supplements, but I would tell people to wear a mouth guard until you know you have it under control. Good luck with it.

[tedsez]

I've been clenching and grinding in my sleep all my adult life -- so hard that I need to have my dentist readjust my mouth guard every few months.

It gets worse when I'm tired and stressed -- but, ironically, it also seems to get worse under good conditions, when I'm sleeping more deeply. Anything that increases my serotonin levels (such as Sam-e) seems to make it worse, too. I take a calcium-magnesium-zinc supplement and a very small dose of melatonin before bed, but that doesn't seem to affect it one way or the other.

I'd love to hear about any real solutions for this, because I haven't found one.

I bet the cal-mag-zinc has equal amounts of Calcium and Magnesium.
We need to change the cal-mag balance.

Perhaps you might try taking upto 200-400 mg of Magnesium in addition to the cal-mag-zinc ?
start with 200mg of Mg at night and increase it after a while.

My bruxism went away when I started taking Magnesium.

Interesting. Here's what one site recommends, based on a few (old) studies:

"The best strategy may involve taking the following on a daily basis: magnesium (approximately 100 mg), calcium (150 mg), and pantothenic acid (50 mg), combined with at least the following: vitamins A (1,000 IU), C (300 mg), E (60 mg), and iodine (0.1 mg=100 mcg). If bruxism subsides, patients should be advised to continue taking these pills. If no improvement is observed within 8 weeks or so, the approach should be given up."

http://www.is.wayne....htm#Nutritional

If all it takes is a little extra magnesium, I'll be extremely (pleasantly) surprised.

[j03]

I've been clenching and grinding in my sleep all my adult life -- so hard that I need to have my dentist readjust my mouth guard every few months.

It gets worse when I'm tired and stressed -- but, ironically, it also seems to get worse under good conditions, when I'm sleeping more deeply. Anything that increases my serotonin levels (such as Sam-e) seems to make it worse, too. I take a calcium-magnesium-zinc supplement and a very small dose of melatonin before bed, but that doesn't seem to affect it one way or the other.

I'd love to hear about any real solutions for this, because I haven't found one.

When i was in my late teens i used to grind through a mouth guard every few months. The pain was so unbearable that one day I even ended up at the emergency room asking for pain killers, and got some.

I take Calcium/Magnesium, and a regimen of other vitamins daily, and it reduced from that to the point I only clench in the day, and night time grinding stopped. But Rhoidola Rosea was the only thing that dramatically reduced it for me to the point where for awhile my jaw actually relaxed.

[j03]

I've been clenching and grinding in my sleep all my adult life -- so hard that I need to have my dentist readjust my mouth guard every few months.

It gets worse when I'm tired and stressed -- but, ironically, it also seems to get worse under good conditions, when I'm sleeping more deeply. Anything that increases my serotonin levels (such as Sam-e) seems to make it worse, too. I take a calcium-magnesium-zinc supplement and a very small dose of melatonin before bed, but that doesn't seem to affect it one way or the other.

I'd love to hear about any real solutions for this, because I haven't found one.

I bet the cal-mag-zinc has equal amounts of Calcium and Magnesium.
We need to change the cal-mag balance.

Perhaps you might try taking upto 200-400 mg of Magnesium in addition to the cal-mag-zinc ?
start with 200mg of Mg at night and increase it after a while.

My bruxism went away when I started taking Magnesium.

The Calcium/Magnesium supplement was the first supplement i tired, and it had a positive effect. It reduced the symptoms and the pain. It didn't cure it, but it did have a noticeable effect after a couple months of using it.

[Not_Supplied]

Hi there. You might want to check out myofascial trigger point therapy - try clair davies' book 'the trigger point therapy workbook'

[rwac]

Interesting. Here's what one site recommends, based on a few (old) studies:

"The best strategy may involve taking the following on a daily basis: magnesium (approximately 100 mg), calcium (150 mg), and pantothenic acid (50 mg), combined with at least the following: vitamins A (1,000 IU), C (300 mg), E (60 mg), and iodine (0.1 mg=100 mcg). If bruxism subsides, patients should be advised to continue taking these pills. If no improvement is observed within 8 weeks or so, the approach should be given up."

http://www.is.wayne....htm#Nutritional

If all it takes is a little extra magnesium, I'll be extremely (pleasantly) surprised.

Here's another link

Abstract: Bruxism and facial tics are most
often atypical forms of tetany. Prolonged treatment by magnesium administration nearly
always leads to their disappearance and also an improvement in associated functional
disorders.

http://www.is.wayne....et/ploctran.htm

[solgoode]

For me the most effective treatments have been physical therapy:
1. craniosacral therapy
2. alphastim
3. cold laser

Craniosacral is a form of massage. Alphastim and cold laser are treatments my TMJ specialist has provided.

I've had TMJ for 20 years, and while splints and supplements help, physical therapy (craniosacral in particular) has been extremely helpful at relieving pain, reducing muscle tension, and improving my sleep. Before I started doing physical therapy, the muscles in my jaw were constantly knotted, and I had fairly severe pain in my neck and back. Now it is much more manageable. I prefer straight, full body craniosacral therapy and not a craniosacral/massage blend.

NOTE: I've read reviews that debunk the new agey aspects of craniosacral therapy and what it does with bodily rhythms, bladablada (see for example: http://www.quackwatc...cs/cranial.html). I don't know or care about any of that. After 20 years, I know what works-for me-and what doesn't. It may not do everything its developer claims, but it does what I need it to do.

P.S. about the adjustments. My current dentist (the one who intro'd me to alphastim and cold laser) has a different and much more effective approach than any other dentist I've gone to. He makes a splint for the lower teeth (all others have been for the top teeth) and then for the first three months or so he had me come in for an adjustment to my splint every 2-3 weeks until things stabilized. The idea is that this trains your muscles back into their appropriate location. It hasn't been the magic bullet for my nighttime bruxing, but it has been far more effective than other splints, and it has helped reduce day-time clenching. Once I got to a point where my splint adjustments leveled off, he then did minor adjustments to my actual teeth which has also helped a lot.