Know THIS RISK of Using Mouth Guards! TRUE STORY!

[Labrat0116]

From my wife's PERSONAL EXPERIENCE !

Someone just posted about using mouth guards and I immediately thought of my wife's horrific experience and I felt compelled to educated anyone and everyone of this risk of using them !!


You better be careful with mouth pieces and mouth guards etc !!! SERIOUSLY !!

My wife wore a mouth piece for (1) year (prescribed by her Dentist) to fend off the effects of TMJ!

Her jaw ended up out of alignment and needed corrective jaw surgery (break the jaw) to realign it !!

She had her jaw wired shut for almost (2) months and had to "eat" by drinking liquids out of straw !!

Still want that mouth piece ??

You better know what the risk are!

[DocWils]

That is a very unusual outcome to TMJ correction, and I don't know if this could be all that common. In addition, I don't think mouth guards as a whole will commonly cause such an extreme problem. Still, forewarned is forearmed, and one should be fully aware of any dangers of anything, even using a band-aid, before one uses one.

[Shastzi]

Yowch. Seriously not-cool....

[Khamier]

Thanks for the warning!

[CJRte66]

Everyone has different reac[/size][/font]tions. I have been using a oral splint for my TMJ since 01/12 with no problems and it has helped with a TMJ symtoms a great deal.

[u2canbuild]

Its not just mouth guards that can cause jaw alignment issues!

I had been using a FFM for almost 8 months and I noticed that my bite was changing, I was also having my jaw "catch" and snap , .

The FFM applies pressure on my jaw pushing it back; In addition to the bite issues, I also was haveing more Obstructive events because when my jaw is further back, my airway closes up easier.


I tried two different mouth guards for 3 weeks all the while monitoring my SP02 levels thru the night.

They difinately helped, with my Sleep Apnea ( SP02 was not as good as the FFM) but they too altered my jaw alignment.

On my own, I just bought a Nasal mask, and it works better than either of the two previous options. all without the jaw alignment issues , SP02 levels good as well.

Another benifit with my new Nasal mask , is that I do not have an issue with bloating now.

I wonder why my sleep doctor never considered a nasal mask?

In any case, ........... like with medications, many devices that are designed to help us ......... have unintended consequences

So, like previously stated, I guess each person has to weigh in the benifits against the side effects and make decisions as to what works for them.

Doctors are a tool too; they can offer ideas and options, but not all of their solutions will work for everyone; Ultimately we are responsible for our journey thru life.

The good thing is that there are many options out there, none perfect, but at least we have options to help us live better.

[DocWils]

Yeah, a lot of doctors are tools.... but not all. Some good guys out there....

[DocWils]

Seriously, doctors are neither all wise nor all knowing. we are not magicians. What is available is stuff we know has worked in the past and educated guesses. really, beyond that, it is up to the patient. Another aspect is no-compliance by patients. we can prescribe until we are blue in the face, and if they don't take the stuff as directed, then it is not our fault. And not everything works on everyone. So it remains a bit of a crap shoot, but with usually better odds at getting it right than any other way, but still, a patient has to take personal responsibility for his health. The doctor is only there to help out when things go very wrong, or to catch things before they do, if the patient comes to them for help.

And there are still a lot of doctors who are tools..... a lot of patients who are, too.....

One more thing - I have prescribed mouth guards in the past for various reasons (I am a bit of a MYO fan, to be honest) and to date none of the those who used them to compliance have reported the problem above. Often there are other underlying problems that push to the front once the therapy is started. I suspect this is the case here. The problem may not have been the mouth guard itself, but an improperly adjusted one or another problem altogether.

[SPOUSE]

This is surprising and hopefully rare. My husband and I have both worn "night" guards for about 10 years. I doubt I could even get to sleep without wearing mine anymore; just doesn't feel right without it. But thanks for the warning! Maybe the lesson is (as we do) to get the fit checked regularly?

From my wife's PERSONAL EXPERIENCE !

Someone just posted about using mouth guards and I immediately thought of my wife's horrific experience and I felt compelled to educated anyone and everyone of this risk of using them !!


You better be careful with mouth pieces and mouth guards etc !!! SERIOUSLY !!

My wife wore a mouth piece for (1) year (prescribed by her Dentist) to fend off the effects of TMJ!

Her jaw ended up out of alignment and needed corrective jaw surgery (break the jaw) to realign it !!

She had her jaw wired shut for almost (2) months and had to "eat" by drinking liquids out of straw !!

Still want that mouth piece ??

You better know what the risk are!

[Sleepster]

This is surprising and hopefully rare. My husband and I have both worn "night" guards for about 10 years. I doubt I could even get to sleep without wearing mine anymore; just doesn't feel right without it. But thanks for the warning! Maybe the lesson is (as we do) to get the fit checked regularly?

Me, too. I thought the OP alarmist.