Bruxism Treatment?

[Cat00]

Hello,

Can anyone tell me if they have been successful getting any treatment for Bruxism in the UK?

I've been grinding me teeth quite badly for 20 years or more so I've had a mouth splint to protect my teeth for most of that time, even though they are all flat from previous grinding. Every so often it would get worse but then it would pass. However since being pregnant with my second child it has been horrendous. I wake up with excruciating face pain. I have chronic migraines so I think they are often triggered by this although you never know which comes first, it could be the onset of migraine causing the grinding.

Anyway my son is 8 months old now and its still bad. I had to give up breast feeding to get Botox bc my migraines were going ballistic, I was hoping it might help the grinding but it hasn't. My neurologist doesn't seem to have an opinion and my dentist doesn't seem to have a clue. My husband has private health insurance so I could use that if they were private only but I can't find any treatment other than relaxation suggestions which have never worked for me. I'm sure I've heard of Botox for jaw problems but all the health professionals just look at me blankly.

Has anyone here had any successful treatment for Bruxism?

[Cally01]

Hi Cat

Have you tried botox into your TMJ ? I've had a splint and a shield, physio etc nothing helps like botox.

I felt that when i used the shield i would grind more, well i would wake with my tongue squeezed between my teeth and have horrific migraines.

When you clench your jaw there are three points which are raised with the muscle, your temple, in front of your ear and your lower jaw. I get botox every 3 months into these points and the results are amazing. Instantly i feel my shoulders drop, always feel my necks tense and my heads too heavy when lying down trying to sleep.

After botox i don't clench or grind, don't wake with migraine or horrific pain between my eyes.

Look into it. My dentist does it. Started with 50ml but now 100ml as it lasts longer.

My left side is the bad side for me. I have no cartilage and lock jaw but botox saved my life literally.

Good luck huni x

[Cat00 in reply to Cally01]

Thank you for your reply!

Do you know if your dentist was a specialist? My dentists don't seem to have any suggestions. Also do you get Botox for your migraines as well?

If my memory serves you have Hemicrania Continua I don't know if Botox is given for that.

[Cally01 in reply to Cat00]

Hi 😁

I tried botox into my tmj administered by a GP, that was fun, frozen face for 3mths and no change to migraines. She obviously didn't know where the tmj was.

I then spoke to my dentist and they we're willing to do it as they knew where the tmj was. The first lot of injections i could feel everything relaxing, paid £250 for this. During the time i was waiting on a referal to the Dental Institute to come through, it took 1yr to get an appt.

I now get botox into my tmj administered by the Dental Institute and don't have to pay anymore.

I've noticed that between the jaw injections and my migraine lenses my hemacranie continua migraines are fewer and less intense.

I honestly believe it's all my jaw and not so much HC but i do still get hormone migraines.

I have headaches everyday but they don't all build to migraine anymore.

Meditation to relax my jaw gets results in reducing the pain level but I'm still learning, it's a hit or a miss sometimes.

😘

[Cat00 in reply to Cally01]

Ok so i would need to go to my dentist to get a referral to the dental institute by the sound of it? I don't think I have TMJ bc they did that fingers on my jaw thing and said it felt normal. I wonder if they would ever give BOTOX for straight Bruxism!

[Cally01 in reply to Cat00]

No one knew i had TMJD until i got an mri. I went privately to a max fac specialist and asked them what was wrong with my face, he asked me to open my mouth, done an mri the same day and said i had no cartilage in my left jaw. To my knowledge i didn't grind or clench.

Before this i was getting physio for tmj and it was agony, they tried acupuncture in my jaw and it was so painful they had to remove the needles.

I had a jaw op which locked my jaw and i could only eat through a straw for 3mths, the whole time migraines were out of control, struggled to keep fighting for the correct treatment.

Get them to xray your jaw at the dentist or if you have private care best option is to be referred to a max fac specialist for an mri.

Good luck 😊

[Cat00 in reply to Cally01]

Blimey! A max fac specialist, is that a max facial specialist? Sorry for the constant questions!

[Cally01 in reply to Cat00]

Yeah that's the one 😁 no problem. Hope you get the right help 😁