Another Big Discovery!!

I stopped wearing the night guard as soon as my PT told me it was unbalancing my jaw.  I felt better the next day...but not the the same extent as the first time I stopped wearing the Invisalign.  I really think that particular night guard caused me to clench more...even without it.

I started researching types of night guards for clenching and most of them involve having your bottom front teeth meet a surface, preventing your molars from connecting.  That is really what I need.

As I gave it more thought, I remembered a bite plate that my orthodontist had me wear when I was in braces which did exactly that.  The purpose was to give my bottom teeth freedom to move up. I wore this appliance day and night for a period of time and eventually only at night while in the braces.  Once I got into the Invisalign, he told me to stop wearing it because the Invisalign is a night guard as well.  Well, I think the combination of no longer wearing that appliance (maybe I became too accustomed to it) and wearing the Invisalign (which promoted clenching), was the big downfall.

So, last night I wore the bite plate for the first time, and I already feel better this morning!!  I was even able to comfortably wear my retainer with it.  This just may be the solution, but I will need to confirm this is all good with the TMJ doc I am scheduled to see on Tuesday.  Hope is in the air again...and I still have a whole week until we leave for Disney.  Yeah!!

This is what the bite plate looks like:

Keeping fingers crossed that this is going to be a big part of my recovery!!  Oh, and why didn't the orthodontist think of this before he sold me that huge chunky night guard?