Dear Dr. Ellie:
Hi, What causes clenching teeth? Every morning I wake up to painful molars/teeth its seems like a few hours before I wake up I had my teeth clenched together applying pressure. What can I do to stop the clenching, I’ve read mouth guard cause more clenching? would massage of the jaw muscles help? On the label of zellies fruit gum lists flavors tutti frutti, tropica, menthol. Does the fruit gum contain menthol, or is it just in the mint flavor?
Thanks
C
Hi C,
Tooth clenching and grinding is usually connected with stress in your life. Anything that helps diffuse stress would be useful. Massage seems to work for some people.
Healthy tooth enamel is strong enough to resist the pressure of grinding. The ligaments and bone that hold teeth in the jaws can even strengthen under pressure. This means that clenching does not have to be a bad thing for teeth.
Damage happens if tooth enamel is too weak to sustain the pressure. It is soft enamel that fractures and chips away under the pressure of clenching. Unfortunately stress (the thing that can cause us to clench our teeth) often changes the acidity of saliva in our mouth and this weakens tooth enamel.
Acidic saliva dissolves minerals out of teeth and leaves them vulnerable to the damage of clenching. Dry mouth will also leave teeth vulnerable since it leaves you with no protection for teeth. To protect your teeth, you can use xylitol that will fight acidity and help build minerals back into teeth to strengthen them.
I also recommend my Complete Mouth Care System designed to build extra strength into weak, damaged or vulnerable teeth. I am sure that with the use of this system, your teeth will suffer less clenching damage and help you avoid broken fillings and chipped teeth.
Here is the link;
http://www.zellies.com/store.asp?pid=14406&catid=19708
As for the menthol it is just a flavor.
Hope this helps,
Ellie Phillips
Categories: Uncategorized
I also have suffered significant jaw bone loss, but mine has been due to dental trauma (removal of four impacted wisdom teeth followed by being hit by a car three months later, fracturing my jaw and losing four teeth- all of this in a previously “perfect” mouth! This was all exacerbated years later by “unneccesary and inappropriate manipulation” of my teeth and jaw by an unscrupulous dentist who had me wearing an acrylic splint 24/7 for 22 months. To top it all off, I clench and grind my teeth which, I’m told, can cause further jaw bone loss (in spite of years of wearing a night guard) because of the tremendous pressure that it places on the jaw bone. I continue to search for the solution to my jaw bone loss issue and suffer tremendous anxiety about losing even one more tooth. Most people worry about cavities, but that has never been an issue for me. My oral care couldn’t be better and there is little to no plaque or calculus on my teeth at dental cleanings. My dentist has even told me that I could be her patient educator!
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Your story is a difficult one and I am sorry that you have suffered and worried so much about your jaw health. I feel certain that xylitol will help you with your oral health and it is also recommended for bone health.Who knows – it may be an answer and help you. I hope so. Thanks for your interest, please keep in touch,Ellie
We go through a lot of Zellies in this household! The way I see it, there’s no downside, plenty of benefits, and they taste good, too!Thanks again for your patient advocacy. We need more dentist like you!!!
If you are looking for a dentist that belives in minimally invasive dentistry there is a good website with some addresseshttp://wcmidentistry.com/index.php?ID=33147 At least this is a startEllie
Hi Dr. Ellie,
I was just told at my regular 6 month appointment today that I have fractures in one of my teeth. Dr. said he could not tell how bad the fractures are in my tooth and suggested a crown right away. I don’t have the money at this time. My question is will doing the system help so I can wait until January of next year to get the crown? Thanks for your advice.
Fractures are so common the joke in dentistry is “fillings grow up to be crowns”, which is why everyone should avoid fillings – especially small ones. Your teeth are ruined (from a strength standpoint) the minute a dentist starts to drill.
The more you protect your teeth from acidity ( with Zellies) and use the correct fluoride daily – the stronger your teeth will become. My system helps mineralize teeth (making them stronger) but you need to prevent acidic damage (which makes teeth weaker). When you stop damage and make teeth stronger- you prevent damage – and this may be enough to protect this tooth for years without a problem.
It’s vital to use the system correctly – always last thing at night. In the morning try to find a time when the strengthening benefits are not washed off your teeth too quickly.Make sure you have all the correct products – and method – or it will not be as effective. Here is a link: LINK