Posted by coral on April 30, 2003, at 17:55:31
In reply to Re: Dental phobia/flossing - Horror Story, posted by mair on April 30, 2003, at 17:20:31
I began waking up with the most excruciating headaches.... Off to the doc - and a gazillion tests later... early diagnoses included arteritis, arthritis in the jaw, misalignment of my spine, this went on for a year. I couldn't sleep more than 3 hours without waking up from pain, which led to an increase of fast-acting, short-lived pain killers so I could function the next day. Prognosis: degenerative arthritis and nothing to be done but manage the pain.
We moved to a different city and I had a problem with a tooth. When I saw the dentist (after extensive research), he said, "What are you doing about the bruxism?" I said, "The what-ism?" He said, "Bruxism. You're severely grinding your teeth." I said, "No, I don't do that." He said when I was sleeping, I did, and furthermore, if I didn't do something about it, I'd suffer continued and severe erosion of dental enamel. Something clicked in me and I asked if it could cause headaches. He said that it could and that the muscles in the jaw were the strongest in the human body, comparatively. He fitted me with a splint and the first night I wore it to bed, I awoke without a headache after six hours of sleep.
There is NO arthritis in my head -- just bruxism that a simple, hard plastic device fixed.
Coral
poster:coral
thread:222890
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030426/msgs/223496.html