Has anyone had to deal with this problem? My husband just started doing this and beside the sound driving me crazy I'm worried about what it is doing to his teeth.
HI Suzieq. For us this was such an awful thing too, and yes, I do believe it is a big part of the disease. My husband had gorgeous teeth, and spent a lot of money on three different bridges so that he would not have to get false teeth. One day, we took him to the dentist, this was in the first year of his disease when he was still able to walk and function go to the bathroom etc.
The dentist was looking in his mouth, and he said alarmingly, WHERE ARE HIS TWO BRIDGES IN THE BACK? Apparently, without me noticing, he had grinded his food so hard they popped off, and, we had not idea where they went! Then within a few months he bit some hard nuts with his front teeth and broke them off. He was so handsome and this was devastating.
In our case , as he still has teeth on the sides and the back to chew well, we just cleaned up what he had, and did not replace anything. It is too hard for them to adjust to new teeth, let alone the actual dental work. Now of course we have to do the brushing for him too.
I hope you guys can find a resolution to this. So sorry for that and sending good wishes your way.
Oh yes, Susieq, this is also a problem here and it drives me crazy. He doesn't even seem to realize he's doing it. He worked a cap off one of his teeth with the grinding. The dentist put it back on but said if it came off again, he would just sedate him and pull it. Besides ruining his teeth, the grinding is like someone scratching their fingers on a blackboard. I just cringe.
My wife wears an inexpensive night guard because she was grinding down her teeth at night. We looking into the dentist making one but dental insurance would not cover it and it would be expensive. Fortunately the drug store ones work fine. She only uses the upper guard.
This has been a huge problem for my DH---he did this about 2 years, then suddenly stopped for about a year. It was during the time he was talking less and less, so assume a way to handle his agitation. He is now in a nursing home and has started again. Nothing helps---he snaps mouth guards in two. The facility is now giving him small doses of benedryl just so his teeth (and his neighbors) will get some relief. I have researched and researched and can find no better answer. And the doctors are clueless too.