Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Dentists asks patients to wear a night-guard when there is a suspicion of night-time teeth-grinding, causing significant wear of tooth enamel. From a paleo perspective, re-calcification of teeth thanks to a healthy diet should help with this issue some, but would wearing a night-guard prevent, or degrade, the body's ability to re-calcify teeth?

It seems that putting a device directly over your teeth for seven+ hours a night would somehow prevent re-calcification from working properly (though perhaps I simply misunderstand how re-calcification works).

flag	asked Jul 29 2011 at 13:14 WyldKard 2,302●2●10●28

	How would a night-guard effect re-calcification? It's not like the minerals are deposited from your saliva onto the surface of your teeth. That's not how it works. – Olivia Jul 29 2011 at 15:14
	@Olivia-What do you mean that's now how it works? Tell us how it works. I've always heard from science that teeth remineralize from the saliva and other minerals from food(like cheese) that come into contact with the teeth. – WaveHunter Jul 29 2011 at 15:38
	Your teeth will not remineralize if you are using normal toothpaste - it has gelatin in it and forms a barrier over them. I am not sure if the mouth gard would do the same thing though. – Fonda Jan 13 at 13:16

hatcherooni · Answer 1 · 2011-07-30 01:58:45Z UTC

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I wear a night guard and I think the benefits out weight the consequences. It won't matter if your teeth are re-calcifying if you just keep cracking them because of grinding.

answered Jul 30 2011 at 1:58

hatcherooni
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Nemesis · Answer 2 · 2011-07-29 13:36:20Z UTC

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I don't think it would have an effect on remineralization at all. Trust me, even while wearing a night guard you get PLENTY of saliva inside of it! Sometimes it's difficult to keep yourself from drooling while wearing it.

answered Jul 29 2011 at 13:36

Nemesis
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terrence · Answer 3 · 2011-07-30 18:12:31Z UTC

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I have found that When I drool at night, much of the discomfort is because my pillow cases are thin cotton (400 thread Egyptian cotton).

So, I put a big, thick cotton towel over my pillow(s). I have found that it absorbs more saliva in a small place, so it does not get as cold as a pillow case.

This does not solve the drooling problem, but it does make it more comfortable.

I have also found that the drooling is NOT related to my night guard use. I have used a custom made night guard for well over 10 years. But, I have only been drooling, off and on, for about eight to 10 months.

My dentist made the guard for me because I had knocked off the bottom of one of my front teeth; he said I grind my teeth at night and this could, and did, damage the teeth, not just enamel.

answered Jul 30 2011 at 18:12

terrence
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Would the loser who gave this comment a negative vote have the honesty and integrity to say why they voted it down? Or are they too cowardly? Or just plain STUPID? – terrence Jul 30 2011 at 19:12

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I used to drool pre-night guard until I started using Breathe Right nose strips at night. It turns out that not getting enough oxygen at night is why people breathe through their mouths. Those nose strips open up your nasal passages, increasing your oxygen intake by up to 30%. Try them some time! – Nemesis Jul 30 2011 at 21:14

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oh yeah hi, that loser was me. The reason is a no brainer -- i down voted because you didn't say anything related to the poster's question, which was "..would wearing a night-guard prevent, or degrade, the body's ability to re-calcify teeth?" - which qualifies your answer as "not helpful", imo. Drooling was not even mentioned in the question. Rest assured that when i see you thoughtfully answer a question you've actually read, you will get an upvote from me. I give em out by the thousands. – g. Aug 1 2011 at 23:49

Loser - had you BOTHERED to read the comments you would have seen that drooling was in FACT referred to in this thread. The highest voted comment was about DROOLING! "Rest assured that when i see you ...answer a question" I will down vote it. But, I guess you can always HIDE behind down votes WITHOUT a comment. BTW, your "UP Votes" are just as useless as your ANONYMOUS down votes. – terrence Aug 2 2011 at 17:38

lol. silly person, do you think i care at all about reputation points? those five downvotes you just gave me lost you a much larger point percentage than they did me. just sayin, since you seem to care so much. have a great day, sunshine! – g. Aug 2 2011 at 18:17

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BJ · Answer 4 · 2011-11-02 15:49:53Z UTC

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Has anyone taken supplements (e.g., magnesium) to help relax muscles during sleep?

This thread (http://paleohacks.com/questions/74196/how-to-keep-from-tensing-up-during-sleep#axzz1cTcGxSGk) has some info related to tense shoulder/neck muscles and using magnesium.

answered Nov 2 2011 at 15:49

BJ

community wiki

I'm currently exploring this as a possible way to mitigate restless leg syndrome (or something with similar symptoms) as I fall asleep. I also feel that, after being on a magnesium supplement for a couple weeks, I don't notice grinding my teeth as much at night, though I don't know if it's actually stopped or slowed down some. I'm forced to rely on my wife and my Sleep Cycle iPhone app as feedback, but I'll report back once I have enough info. – WyldKard Nov 2 2011 at 18:25

Wearing a night-guard for protecting teeth.

4 Answers