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Grinding of Teeth

Donr
Donr Member Posts: 188
Tenth Anniversary 100 Comments 5 Likes
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My DW has been diagnosed with Alz for 8 years. She is currently in stage 4. She just started grinding her teeth during awake hours. I am afraid she might do permanent damage to her teeth. She visited her dentist to reattach a crown. Her dentist was no help. Has anyone else run into this problem?

Comments

  • sandwichone123
    sandwichone123 Member Posts: 790
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    I got a mouth guard (night guard) made by the local dental hygienist school. The dentist can make one too, but it costs a lot more. Anyway, I don't know if she would be able to cooperate with them making a custom guard, or if she could use it after it was made.

  • SDianeL
    SDianeL Member Posts: 1,021
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    very common in late stages. I doubt she would keep a mouth guard in her mouth. Also mouth guards are dangerous for Alzheimer’s patients. They can bite them or swallow them. I would talk to the Neurologist or Geriatric Psychiatrist about medications for anxiety to see if that helps.

  • Vitruvius
    Vitruvius Member Posts: 328
    Fourth Anniversary 100 Care Reactions 100 Comments 25 Insightfuls Reactions
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    My DW ground her teeth as well. We tried a dentist made mouth guard for night use but she would not wear it. I never was able to do anything to stop it, but she eventually stopped on her own about six months after it started.

  • CampCarol
    CampCarol Member Posts: 95
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    My husband has ground his teeth to the point where I’m finding pieces of broken teeth around the house, and it’s obvious looking at him that there’s an issue there. Our dentist will not give him a guard due to the safety reasons @ SDianeL described above and couldn’t offer any other ideas to mitigate it. As far as I can tell, it’s only at night, I’m not seeing any evidence of this during the day. Sorry I can’t offer you a solution, but you’re not alone in this!

  • Donr
    Donr Member Posts: 188
    Tenth Anniversary 100 Comments 5 Likes
    Member

    I appreciate everyone's suggestions.

  • Blessed 52 years
    Blessed 52 years Member Posts: 2
    Third Anniversary First Comment
    Member

    Hello, I too am having difficulty with my wife grinding her teeth. can be pretty intense. I can't figure the trigger and only thing that sometime works is chewing gum, but usually swallows several before going into a lasting chew. Have you found anything to help??? Earl in Hartland

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
Read more