For most of the past week, I have been suffering from the results of a nervous habit of mine. When I am under stress, I clench my teeth in my sleep. I've done it for years. After my divorce the habit was much less evident. But, in the past year there have been many changes at work and much indecision as to what the future holds for me there. I recently realized that I am once again clenching my jaws in my sleep. Sometimes I wake and think that my jaw has come out of alignment and is shifting in my mouth as well...I've probably added grinding to my list of lovely unconscious toothy nighttime habits.
I woke one morning this past week with one side of my mouth sore. Three or four teeth were uncommonly sensitive to the touch but there was no pain when I bit down. Weird, I thought but quickly credited it to my nighttime activities and went on with my day. The next morning I woke with more pain. By the end of the day I decided I might just be getting an abscessed tooth because I had added sensitivity to cold food and even air drawn in would result in searing pain for a minute or two. I made a call to my dentist and arranged to be worked in the next morning. After x-rays and an exam, my dentist was puzzled. The tooth that was causing the pain didn't even have a filling or cavity to cause any decay. After I told him about my jaw clenching he concluded that I had aggravated the tooth myself. His advice....go to a sporting goods store, get a mouth guard and wear it at night.
Oh, what a lovely sight I will be. Good thing I live alone!
So what about you? Do you have any nervous habits? What do you do to manage them?
ps....the cold sensitivity seems better today...still there, but better. I have to drink using a straw. What a pain...literally!
I run my hands through my hair - bad habit as it makes it quite messy and adds too much oil to it.
ReplyDeleteI bite my nails. They grow long, and then something happens and I bite them.
ReplyDeleteI also clench my jaw and grind my teeth, but only when I'm stressed. (like all last week OUCH).
ReplyDeleteAw, sorry about the pain in your teeth (tooth)! I would hate such a recommendation that your dentist gave you!! Who wants to wear such a thing to bed, living alone or not.;)) I am going to ask my father is there is not another solution (he is a dentist).;))
ReplyDeleteAs for a nervous habit, I did use to have one when I was younger; biting the inside of my cheeks. Then I once saw someone else doing it and realized how awful it looked and it helped me stop.;))
Hope you are having a great Saturday and I hope your pain will go away soon.;)) xo
I bit my nails, too. And I rock back and forth on my toes sometimes. Dumb, huh?
ReplyDeleteBefore I even finished reading your post, I was saying, "That girl needs a mouth guard!" I know a lot of people who swear by them.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a regular habit that I am aware of but I do remember 2 years when I was under extreme stress, the way my body reacted was my hair starting falling out A LOT every day for about 2 months. That was an eye opener to me to get things under control that I had the power to do. The changes made my home a much more peaceful place but it was not so good with the blended family (step-children) but it had to be done.
Oh Stevie ~ I do the exact same thing! The past two years, with some extra stress, and I have really caused my jaw to do some weird things. I haven't resorted to the mouth guard but have been trying to consciously relax my jaw as I fall asleep.
ReplyDeleteHi Stevie, sorry to hear about your toothy goings-on. One would think that when one was asleep, one was at one's most relaxed physical state, but this is not always the case. Stress does its work on the body around the clock it would appear.
ReplyDeleteOf course I have a nervous habit or two. I pick at my split ends when I am stressed and also inhale from a Vicks jar.
Oh, I do the same thing! A few years back it was so bad that I stress fractured the roots of several of my teeth! Get the mouth guard -- you'll feel better!
ReplyDelete:-D And now, when stressed -- I piddle around and procrastinate -- it's terrible to watch!
I do the same thing if I'm real tired when I go to sleep. Hope it gets better!
ReplyDeleteI bite the inside of my mouth at the corners - awful, isn't it? When things are really bad, I chew the skin at the corners of my nails, but never the nails themselves.
ReplyDeleteWe are descended from Apes don't forget!
Kat
the mouth guard sounds delightful. not!! whatever it takes to stop the pain, right? i pick the cuticles on my fingernails when i'm nervous. it is a gross habit and if i don't keep my nails manicured and painted i can pick the devil out of them and hae quite ugly hands. the other thing i do when nervous is giggle. it has gotten me into trouble over the years.
ReplyDeleteUgh.. I hope you can get the pain under control soon and even more importantly, the stress.
ReplyDeleteLike Janine, I have had bouts of hair loss.. handfuls of it several times a day. Not noticeable to anyone but me, but boy did I notice. As did my drains and vacuum.
I pick my nails and twirl strands of my hair.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes bite my nails and when I was little I'd twirl my hair. Stress/anxieties are never a good thing. I'm glad you got advice to help you!
ReplyDeleteI was clenching my teeth so much at one point in my life that I finally cracked a tooth. It was insane.
ReplyDeleteI managed to talk myself out of doing it (even while sleeping) mostly out of desperation because I can't wear the mouth guards.
I hope a little positive thinking and a mouth guard will help you :)
I do the same thing. My dentist told me that I am grinding my teeth flat. I have difficulty eating meat which I don't really mind because meat is not the main sourse of nourishment for me. However I do resent the sore teeth and mouth. I have tried the mouth guard. It works if it stays in your mouth at night. Ha..
ReplyDelete