My Wife Is Grinding Her Teeth - Any Dietary Advice?

Mufasa

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Jun 10, 2016
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MB dissolved in vodka mouth wash relaxes everything in my mouth, and kills low grade inflammation.

I use 10mg of MB per mouth wash.

Not sure if it it will work tooth grinding, but you could give it a go.
 

schultz

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I think there is some evidence that bruxism is related to increased serotonin. Things that irritate the gut would increase serotonin I suppose. Ray would probably say "eat a carrot"
:carrot

If tweaking the diet doesn't work, you could have her try cyproheptadine which both lowers serotonin and increases non-REM sleep time, REM sleep time and slow wave sleep. I believe people with bruxism have a decreased amount of slow wave sleep, which could be having an effect on her mind during the day.
:sheep

Either way, I hope she get it resolved. My wife said I used to aggressively chomp my teeth when I slept. It would wake her up!
 

gabys225

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A solution that worked for me was wearing a mouth guard periodically throughout the day (I use the Plackers brand) and giving my jaw a workout. That coupled with increasing my magnesium intake (transdermal) took care of it. Hope that helps!
 

Peater Piper

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Magnesium glycinate helped me. I could feel my jaw tensing up at night and I couldn't relax it no matter how hard I tried. Now whenever I notice a little tension in my jaw I'll take 200 mg of magnesium at bed time for a few days and it goes away.
 

paymanz

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some studies used dopamine agonist drugs for bruxism,and it helped to some degree.
 

Logan-

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Pharmacology
Historically, benzodiazepam–type drugs and muscle relaxants have been prescribed by clinicians in an attempt to reduce nocturnal bruxism. Given the past decade of brain research related to neurotransmitters associated with bruxism, a major focus of recent research has centered on additional potentially useful serotonergic and dopaminergic drugs for the management of sleep bruxism and also the use of acetylcholine-inhibiting formulations such as botulinum toxin. [19]

In 2003, the authors of a comprehensive review of the literature assessing the pharmacologic management of bruxism concluded, given the largely anecdotal reports published up to that time, that insufficient evidence-based data existed to draw conclusions regarding the effects of drugs associated with the dopaminergic, serotonergic, and adrenergic system on bruxism. They recommended more controlled, evidence-based research. [20]

Since that review, new evidence supports the use of clonazepam for reducing nocturnal bruxism. [21] In a placebo-controlled, single-blind, nonrandomized trial using polysomnography and psychometry, 10 subjects were given 1 mg clonazepam 30 minutes before lights out. The result was a significant improvement in the mean bruxism index (from 9.3 to 6.3/hour of sleep). Also, per the authors, significant improvement occurred in total sleep, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep latency, and time awake during the total sleep period. Periodic leg movements also were noted to decrease significantly. [22]

As for the effect of serotonergic medications on nocturnal bruxism, the evidence for efficacy is poor. In a placebo-controlled RCT, a serotonin precursor, L-tryptophan, was not found to be effective in reducing the behavior. The effect of antidepressant medications is mixed. [23]

As suggested in an article published in Clinical Neuropharmacology, [24] antidepressant drugs may exert deviating effects on bruxism: either they exacerbate the condition (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs]) or they are inert in their effects (amitriptyline).

In a randomized, double-blind, crossover study on the effect of 25 mg of amitriptyline delivered over 4 weeks to 10 subjects with nocturnal bruxism, unilateral and cumulative electromyographic activity recorded on a home-use device failed to reveal differences between placebo and amitriptyline trials. [25] The drug also did not appear to increase sleep duration. Even given the inherent problems with home monitoring devices with respect to reliability, the results do not support the use of amitriptyline for the management of bruxism.

Serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications (SSRIs) have been observed to increase bruxism. In these cases, a reduction in the dosage or withdrawal and substitution with another antidepressant may help to reduce behavior that is significant and pathologic. It should be appreciated that drug manipulation should not occur in the absence of physician consultation. Another approach to managing the patient with SSRI-induced bruxism is possible cotreatment with gabapentin.

In a reported case study involving onset of bruxism after use of venlafaxine therapy for depression, gabapentin was coprescribed for anxiety symptoms and was found to ameliorate the bruxing behavior completely. [26]

Dopaminergic medication also appears to demonstrate potential utility in reducing nocturnal bruxism. In a double-blind, randomized, cross-over clinical trial described by F Lobbezoo and GJ Lavigne, [27] 10 patients with sleep bruxism were assessed over 3 consecutive nights after being prescribed low doses of short-term L-dopa combined with benserazide. What was found was that L-dopa use produced a significant decrease in the average number of bruxism episodes per hour of sleep and the root-mean-square EMG level per burst of behavior (suggesting a normalization of the EMG activity pattern associated with sleep bruxism).

Low doses of the dopamine D1/D2 receptor agonist pergolide have also been reported to reduce bruxing behavior in a severe bruxism case.

The D2 receptor agonist bromocriptine was studied in 6 subjects using a double-blind, placebo-controlled polysomnographic and neuro-imaging study with a single crossover design. [6] The bromocriptine subjects demonstrated a 20-30% greater reduction in bruxism episodes per hour of sleep, although the number of bursts per episode were not significant between groups. However, bromocriptine induced significantly lower root-mean squared EMG levels in this limited study, suggesting that the drug may be useful in treating bruxism. [28]

In contrast, Huynh and Lavigne were not able to discern an effect of the use of a nonselective adrenergic beta-blocker, propranolol, on nocturnal bruxing behavior, although the latter drug was reported effective in reducing bruxism in patients taking antipsychotic medication. [29]

Bruxism Management: Overview, Definition, Etiology
 

Repas du soir

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Feb 11, 2018
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I don't suffer from this myself, but my dad does. I have heard it's related to stress. Maybe regular meditation could help to lower chronic stress?

If it's a learned habit for reducing stress which some people have speculated, maybe wearing a mouth guard for a couple of months would teach the brain to stop doing it while sleeping? I used to sleep with my mouth open, but I have taught myself to keep my mouth closed throughout the night by mewing during the day.
 

Beastmode

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@ecstatichamster

Did your wife ever get this sorted out? If so, I would love to know what worked.

My dentist said that my teeth are wearing out from grinding. I must be doing it while sleeping as I don't notice it.

I know of the serotonin link that Peat mentions, but taking cypro isn't something I want to do too much.
 

JamesGatz

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This is going to be a non-Peaty response, but does she mew? I personally believe Bruxism and clenching as well as snoring are tied to a narrow/recessed maxilla - pushing the lower jaw back into the airways and leading to overcompensation when breathing, all of my issues related to my teeth and breathing went away after a few years of correct posture/tongue posture - I can send you a few videos if interested. I know this is a controversial topic for some, but I can truly say I am a success story in my own case
 
OP
ecstatichamster
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@ecstatichamster

Did your wife ever get this sorted out? If so, I would love to know what worked.

My dentist said that my teeth are wearing out from grinding. I must be doing it while sleeping as I don't notice it.

I know of the serotonin link that Peat mentions, but taking cypro isn't something I want to do too much.

she wears a mouthguard at night now and it seems to be helpful.
 

Beastmode

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she wears a mouthguard at night now and it seems to be helpful.
Is it an OTC one or customized by a dentist?

I might try it out to see what kind impact it has on sleep. It's good, but maybe something like this make it even better.
 

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