Teeth Grinding

Crkddy · April 14

My wife just started something new last week. She is grinding her teeth incessantly. She is 8+ years since Alzheimer's diagnosis and in early stage 7.

Of all the symptoms she has exhibited over the years, this is one of the most excruciating.

Anybody have any experience with this behavior?

jgreen · April 14

Hi @Crkddy

There are a few threads about teeth, dental hygiene, and lip smacking with different responses. If you use the ‘magnifying glass’ icon and search the word ‘teeth’ you may find some help there.

I am not in your ‘shoes’ just yet. But my DH sniffles and snorts a lot, and I am starting to notice it is when he seems bored. So my job is to get him distracted somehow with an activity, or TV, or food, or ……. In stage 7 I don’t know if that will work for you. Do you have hospice involved? They may have suggestions or medication to help your DW get more comfortable.

Sending you hugs 💝

harshedbuzz · April 14

Some PWD do seem to develop repetitive behaviors like this.

Specific to teeth grinding, it provides a joint compression in one of the body's most powerful joints which can be calming. IME this kind of behavior sometimes crops up if the PWD is bored or dealing with sensory issues. A redirect might help— quiet the space, encourage a nap, offer a snack. If this is sensory seeking to calm herself, you might be able to redirect by massaging lotion onto her hands or feet.

HB

SDianeL · April 15

Found this online: some things that may help:

Medication Review: Discuss with a physician whether medications are contributing to the behavior.
Create a Calm Environment: Reduce environmental stress to minimize agitation.
Comfort Measures: Offer gentle jaw or temple massage, or use a warm compress to relax tense muscles.
Alternative Soothers: Frozen fruit-filled pacifiers (if safe) or, in some cases, sensory "chewies" may provide an outlet.

Crkddy · July 16

I wanted to provide an update on my wife's agitation and teeth grinding issue. Hopefully this may help others. As mentioned earlier, she is late stage and 8+ years since her early on-set diagnosis.

After consulting with her primary care provider, we made a decision to taper her off zoloft and start on buspar in effort to address her agitation. She had been on zoloft for 8 years. This seemed to have an effect for a few days but then she reverted to her previous behavior. I then made a decision to self-refer to hospice and she was admitted based upon her 7C stage, agitation, and a history of UTI's. I forgot to mention that I had her tested for UTI at urgent care, but it was negative.

Hospice tried Zyprexa, which was too sedating, and then mirtazapine, which has helped her sleep without being overly sedating but didn't address the agitation. Tried Ativan during the heavy grinding and agitation periods with mixed results. Sometimes it worked and other times did not.

My wife has been on aricept and namenda for 8 years. I've heard opinions on both sides on whether these meds should be continued or discontinued at this point. Hospice made the recommendation last week to discontinue the aricept on the suspicion that it could be causing the agitation and grinding. She has been off now for a little over a week, and the grinding and agitation have ceased.

This is good news and bad news because she is now lethargic. Hospice explained that the aricept was keeping her mind going and providing alertness but that she was no longer able to maintain this level of alertness without a constant state of agitation. It's as if her body was in rebellion and exhausted. Without the aricept, she is getting the rest and peacefulness she needs. Unfortunately, getting her nutrition is now a struggle.

It's becoming clearer to me that we are approaching the end of the journey. As painful as that is, I know it is time.

Teeth Grinding

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