Bite Guards and Open Bites?

[Guest guest]

Okay, my dentist said today that either I could redo the surgery,

pull teeth, crown all my molars, go back in braces or wear a bite

guard forever. All of these choices suck, considering that I have

already been through surgery and braces. I'm wondering though if a

bite guard wouldn't open my previous open bite back up? My dentist

seemed doubtful but the clear retainer that I wore for a week after

the braces were removed (while the metal one was being made) started

opening my bite back up. I'm waiting on an appointment with another

orthodontist (not the for-crap one that I already had) and will see

what he says, but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with a

bite guard. Also, I was told that after my initial 6 months of

wearing the retainer, I will still have to wear it at night for the

rest of my life. That leaves no room for a bite guard anyway.

True? Thanks, m

[Guest guest]

Alright, I'm no expert, and I haven't gotten any orthodontists or

oral surgeons to confirm this, but I have some experience with this

too. When I had my braces removed as a teen (about 8 years ago), I

was given a clear retainer to wear over my top teeth (kind of like

the new Invisalign things, but in my case it was just to hold the

teeth in their new spots, not to move them) and mysteriously my bite

opened. Pain soon followed and my dentist made a TMJ splint for me,

which I wore every night since. Now I'm in braces again, preparing

for upper jaw surgery to fix my open bite. So I had to stop wearing

my splint because of the braces and my teeth needing to move and not

be held in place, and my open bite is closing (I wish the TMJ pain

would disappear with it, but no such luck so far!). Now, that last

part may be due to the teeth moving (I think my orthodontist may be

pulling my lower teeth in as they were tilted too far out) which may

be making the open bite appear to close when really it is not. But it

would seem to me that splints and those overlay retainers do go along

with my open bite, but like I said, I'm certainly no expert and it

may all be coincidence.

> Okay, my dentist said today that either I could redo the surgery,

> pull teeth, crown all my molars, go back in braces or wear a bite

> guard forever. All of these choices suck, considering that I have

> already been through surgery and braces. I'm wondering though if a

> bite guard wouldn't open my previous open bite back up? My dentist

> seemed doubtful but the clear retainer that I wore for a week after

> the braces were removed (while the metal one was being made)

started

> opening my bite back up. I'm waiting on an appointment with

another

> orthodontist (not the for-crap one that I already had) and will see

> what he says, but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with a

> bite guard. Also, I was told that after my initial 6 months of

> wearing the retainer, I will still have to wear it at night for the

> rest of my life. That leaves no room for a bite guard anyway.

> True? Thanks, m