wear the mouthguard
yours is a very common problem, a football type mouthguard helps teeth slide over eachother but you now probably now need a splint from dentist to keep teeth apart when asleep
jaw clencing is related and can cause strong pain in muscles below ears

Thanks harry,

I have been to the TMJ Dr and ran the $400+ tests and came out with at least if not more processes. And just a mere 10,000 will take care of it all.(yeah right, that's in my back pocket).

Another toothless old woman coming down the road.

I am biting the heck out of my plastic football mouthgard. I didn't realize how often I am grinding. I keep waking up because I am grinding so hard. Kinda scary.

maybe you should ask doc about a long acting muscle relaxer med for a while
ask dentist about a splint to keep teeth apart

I have had braces for TMJ and many mouthguards over the years. These have helped immensely. I find the pain has been worse when I am stressed out. I seem to grind and clench more at these times. Vicodin has helped a little but I don't use it unless I absolutely have to do so and Flexeril helps now and again. Even though splints are expensive, they are worth it. My most recent bouts with TMJ were about three years ago and after the splint, the doctor wanted to use orthodontics. I told him I hyad already been there and done that and didn't want nor had the money to go through it again. Some people talk about botox as a possible help for this especially if you have spasms in this area. I had muscle spasms that literally locked my jaw at times. It may be worth looking into as an alternative. I know that there are more options since I started treatments 18 years ago. Please go and investigate the options that you may now have and are not aware of at this point. Blessings!

what harry said to the t...