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Discussionanyone got tmj/bruxism but not thier own teeth??
Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) | Last Active: 22 hours ago | Replies (9)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "I just wondered , if you dont have any teeth ( age etc ) but grind..."
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@tisme If you have teeth removed, especially molars, but don’t plan on replacing them, your bite and your jaw position changes. It will depend on how many you’re having removed.
Also, let’s say you have lower molars removed but not the uppers. If the lower teeth aren’t replaced with a prosthetic or implants, those remaining upper molars, not having anything to bite against, may also eventually fall out. It’s more complicated than that but that’s basically what can happen because teeth can shift into the empty space and bone deteriorates. And vice versa…if uppers are extracted but you have opposing lowers teeth, the lower molars tend to rise up out of the lower jaw. It’s important for teeth to occlude. (bite against each other)
If you previously ground your teeth (bruxism) before they were removed, there’s no way of telling what you will do when they’re gone. Because your entire bite will be thrown off, the jaw will close (bite together) deeper than normal. That may cause more TMJ problems and chewing food adequately may become a challenge. But you won’t have teeth to chew against so you won’t be ‘grinding’ anything. That isn’t to say that your jaw won’t be seeking a place to settle.
I found a short video that helps show what may happen when teeth are removed and not replaced. https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=AwrNaVGVG4JpiXcADwBXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzIEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3BpdnM-
You seem quite concerned about grinding your teeth at night. Does the mouth guard not help you? How many teeth are being removed?