Guarding From the Grind

This, I believe, is unlikely appreciation, an appreciation for mouth guards. That's right; these. And not for the purpose of protecting teeth from a hockey puck; no, from grinding them all the way up & into my gum lines & away forever, that's why I'm so thankful for their invention.

I spent many years thinking I wasn't brushing my teeth properly; I'm probably still not really brushing right. My lower front teeth have, since sometime in high school, been exposed at the base of the gum line. Originally it was just "my two front teeth", 😂 then it became my four front teeth. This probably happened sometime during my late college years.

Then more than a decade passed by & I began to notice that my two, front & center, upper teeth were beginning to encounter the same problem. Strangely enough they were encountering the same problem differently. The gum line wasn't receding equally.

When I smile, my teeth show. That sounds silly to write, though there are many people who, when they do smile, very beautiful, broad smiles, they have a toothless grin (& it's not because they've no teeth! 😊) Fortunately while my teeth are showing, my lips do not fold up (or down) & out revealing these extensive "root revealing" gum line views. I'm able to confidently smile with my teeth showing! 😏 & without considering that the roots of my teeth are on display. (Which wouldn't be a "smile worthy" cause anyhow!)

Quite recently I've been informed by a few people (separately though) that it's not been due to improper brushing (which I've been attempting to improve & "perfect" through all of these years), it's because I'm grinding my teeth while I sleep. For a number of reasons I've been amazed to learn this.

For one, Mom's shared stories of my talking in my sleep. She's noticed that (more than one time), though missed hearing my teeth noisily chomping away through the night; hmmmm...

For another, I've slept nearby & in the same space as others through this time (I did live in the college dorms!), & no one's ever mentioned this oddity. I mean, I'm not expecting my same-age college classmates to call me out on something like this, because: priorities! It's just slightly baffling that no one (not even post-college) noticed anything out-of-the-ordinary enough to say so.

I'm not moping, though. I'm more 😕.

And, for roughly a year I've been learning a lot more about these. The first product I purchased was this. I didn't know what size I needed, so I felt confident in selecting it. The larger, or as I'd call them, adult-sized guard, fit me to a tee; excellent. This gave me two guards. The other two were "child-sized" & I did give them two a few kids I knew who were in need. The other great thing about this purchase: it came with a blue plastic container for "during the day". I didn't even need to tell the company of my preference for the color blue. 😉

After this purchase containing child-size guards, I wanted to select a product with only adult-size guards included. This was my next pick. This purchase included no "during the day" container, though I'm still using my first one for the same purpose. I've still four guards in the purchase, & they all fit my mouth. The only difference is that they remind me a bit of having worn braces.

The manufacturer curves their silicon differently & this isn't to the same shape of my mouth & teeth. I know that I'm welcome (maybe even encouraged?) to boil these guards once I've received my purchase & before I begin wearing them to sleep in order to have them fitting more specifically to my mouth, my personal mold. I'm hesitant to do so in that I don't wish to mangle the guard; the results from the boiling cannot be undone, so this would be bad.

The good thing is that they're obviously working. I mean, I've grinded my way through multiple guards enough that I've had to make this second purchase. Right now it seems that I work my way through a guard about every three months. That's the breaking point - literally - of the device for me; that's when I see the silicon with a slit through the middle & I become concerned to wear it in that I might have a piece break off, go down my throat & then I'd choke, all the while I'd be trying to sleep.

This guard has taken to the shape of my teeth eventually. (This is the part which reminds me of wearing braces.) Though it's still uncomfortable, to that extent, even once it's taken some shape.

Sometimes it's frustrating & annoying to need to pop the guard in, especially when I'm already laying down & am cozy with the blankets wrapped up tightly. Knowing how my teeth look in my gum line, can be encouraging enough to get back up. If I'm that tired, then sometimes not. And if I'm out-&-about, then I disregard ensuring that the blue case tags along. Potentially a bad habit, I know.

I'm still figuring out my next purchase. Which manufacture offers a silicon already molded most to my mouth while also only sending me adult-sized molds? Hmmmm...

Time will tell. All the while I remain thankful these were invented.



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