Teeth Grinding(1)

SueHudson

My mother was diagnosed 3 1/2 years ago and I am looking forward to utilizing this discussion board for support.

However, today I am posting for a friend who is caring for his wife who was diagnosed with early onset about six years ago and is currently in Hospice care at home. Recently his wife's teeth grinding has become more frequent and intense. She grinds pretty constantly from 7am until 7pm (she does not grind them in the evening or when sleeping, or when eating). He has tried using an adult pacifier for her but she will not keep it in her mouth.

Has anyone else had experiences with loved ones grinding their teeth like this? Any ideas why she may be having increased grinding only during daytime hours (anxiety, sensory input?)? Has anyone had any luck helping to calm the grinding? His biggest concern is her damaging her teeth and being in pain and he is also reluctant to further medicate her without trying other alternatives first.

Many thanks for any input!

ninalu

Hi SueHudson,
Welcome! We're glad you found us. There's a lot of compassion, wisdom, and support here. 

On teeth grinding, I don't have any personal experience with my LO. But I wanted to let you know that you can search the archives to learn what others have shared / discussed on a topic in the past. I did a quick search and see that there are several posts where "teeth grinding" is mentioned. I'd encourage you to take a look. 

Others will chime in on this thread with their wisdom, too.

SueHudson

Thank you!

dayn2nite2

My mother ground her teeth in the late stage - to the point where she was breaking them.  By then she was on hospice and we started giving her something that lessened her anxiety.

Is the LO on hospice yet?  If so, I'd definitely get their input - they may not be around her enough to realize about the grinding.

If not, I'd consult with her physician about it because I feel like it does come from anxiety/agitation.  My mom pretty much stopped it once on medication - I can't remember what we were giving her.

Vitruvius

I think my very first post years ago was about my DW grinding her teeth all day long. Once she was on Zoloft/Sertraline for a short while her grinding went away as they ramped the dosage up.

harshedbuzz

Hi Sue-

How kind of you to reach out to help a fellow caregiver.

I always found many of my dad's symptoms to be reminiscent of those related to autism and routinely tried strategies that would be used for someone on spectrum.

In PWA, tooth grinding/clenching is typically related to anxiety in some way. The tooth grinding is likely a sensory-seeking behavior that involves joint compression which can reduce anxiety in many. The jaw is a mighty powerful joint. For a kid, the replacement behavior offered would generally be bouncing on a mini-tram or climbing breaks which would provide compressions of other large joints. Chewing gum might be useful if she's not choking. Climbing a small flight of stairs might work if she's able to do so safely with assistance. A weighted vest or lap blanket might help her. These are best prescribed by an OT with sensory training but generally a weight of about 10% of the person's bodyweight is used with regular breaks to prevent acclimation. I would be super cautious if she has arthritis or osteoporosis. 

HB

kbl54

Hi, no advice but dealing with the same issue and trying to control it with help from hospice. My mom grinds all day if not asleep or eating. We are very nervous that she will break a tooth and also think that it has to be causing her great discomfort to be doing this.

Hospice weaned her off zoloft as antidepressants can sometimes cause grinding. Being off the zoloft didn't help. They are now trying 10mg of flexeril but that is not helping either.

So just writing to provide some solidarity and to see if anyone else has suggestions. My mom is late stage and cannot walk anymore.

dayn2nite2

I think we were giving my mom something like Xanax on a schedule for the teeth grinding and she also got it if that day was a bath day an hour before her bath because she would get extra agitated during bathing.