Oy. I am an adult with braces (both upper and lower) who
had a previous problem with teeth grinding, not just at
night but throughout the day. My dentist gave me a mouth
guard thing, but I have a severe gag reflex and can't
use it. :-(   Any other suggestions? I live in fear that
one day several teeth are going to pop out of their sockets,
especially now that they are moving with the braces!

Carolyne in TX
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It's hard to wear a nightbuard when your teeth are moving around with
active orthodontic treatment. But if your orthodontist believes it is
necessary as a part of your treatment, you should make every effort to
use it in order to avoid compromising your treatment.

Sometimes the orthodontist can modify the appliance to make it a bit
smaller. It can't hurt to ask him.

After all the orthodontic treatment is finished, a much smaller device
like the NTI can be used to prevent grinding. The NTI is very small and
fits only on the front teeth, so it doesn't stick into the back of the
mouth at all.

When your braces are all done, you might want to check with your
dentist about getting the smaller NTI guard.

- dentaldoc