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Could I be grinding my teeth?

I'm currently experiencing dental pain on one side of my jaw, this has been a problem since January, but when I went for a check up in Jan, the dentist couldn't find anything obvious in the X-ray. I've been using salt water rinses to keep the pain under control since then.

Recently the pain has been more intense and salt water rinses not working. Today I went to a new dentist for a different opinion, but again the X-ray showed nothing obvious. On one hand I am relieved I don't have an infection, on the other hand, I'd love for the pain to go.

This evening I've started to wonder whether it could be a symptom of teeth grinding. I say that because I can feel a slight ache on the bottom parallel tooth and this tooth seems somewhat loose. In other words, my jaw aches at the top and bottom of one side, and yet the X-ray shows no infection. I should have told the dentist that the bottom tooth has a slight ache and feels loose.

Im suspecting jaw grinding because a dentist had once said she thinks I grind my jaw at night, I went for a second opinion with a different dentist who said there's no evidence of teeth grinding.

Does anyone have any problems with teeth grinding? What are the symptoms? I am stressed about various issues at the moment.
Reply 1
lay off the mdma OP.

Anyway semi jokes aside take ibuprofen or something strong like co-codamol to stop the pain. How to stop the jaw grinding, I don't know.

Avoid sweet foods and acidic foods, floss and brush your teeth after every meal, sometimes the pain can come from bits of food stuck inbetween your teeth e.g. and don't brush too hard. Also have foods high in calcium or take calcium tablets.
Reply 2
If it is jaw grinding (which I think it is) you can get a mouth guard, or you'll eventually chip a tooth. Being stressed can contribute to it.

There could be a chance that your wisdom teeth are preparing to appear?


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(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 3
Try to use mouth guards at night to make sure that you had suffered jaw or teeth grinding issue.
Reply 4
Google TMJD, I went to the dentist and I had no idea but apparently I grind my teeth at night and when I'm anxious / stressed and it's caused by that. You could go back and ask them but it definitely sounds like that, they can make a jaw mould and give you a retainer / guard which you wear at night and it helped me a lot (although I keep forgetting to wear it.) Hope it gets better for you :smile:


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