If it happens to you

[jillsy]

Thought I would share this with you in case it happens to anyone else. Last month, I was having a terrible time with my jaw. It got really sore on one side and was totally unaligned, making it hard to even eat. I figured it was stress-induced, but just checked with my dentist to be sure.

He said this happens alot when people are stressed. The muscle on the side of the jaw gets sore and cramps up. He says alot of people clench their teeth when they're stressed or frustrated.

Well, last night I was carving and guess what I noticed? I clench my teeth. My jaw was super tightly closed as I was trying to focus and not to mess up.

I read in another thread that new carvers often get overly tired and sore from being so tense trying to carve. Looks like this can happen too. Just wanted to pass it on in case anyone else is experiencing (or has experienced this) and wasn't sure what to do.

Oh, if this does happen to you and you're not sure what to do, the dentist just prescribed wearing a mouth guard (like they wear in sports) and chewing gum whenever it starts feeling tight.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Originally Posted by jillsy

Thought I would share this with you in case it happens to anyone else. Last month, I was having a terrible time with my jaw. It got really sore on one side and was totally unaligned, making it hard to even eat. I figured it was stress-induced, but just checked with my dentist to be sure.

He said this happens alot when people are stressed. The muscle on the side of the jaw gets sore and cramps up. He says alot of people clench their teeth when they're stressed or frustrated.

Well, last night I was carving and guess what I noticed? I clench my teeth. My jaw was super tightly closed as I was trying to focus and not to mess up.

I read in another thread that new carvers often get overly tired and sore from being so tense trying to carve. Looks like this can happen too. Just wanted to pass it on in case anyone else is experiencing (or has experienced this) and wasn't sure what to do.

Oh, if this does happen to you and you're not sure what to do, the dentist just prescribed wearing a mouth guard (like they wear in sports) and chewing gum whenever it starts feeling tight.

You can fix that by filling your mouth with marshmallows....now me, I have the same problem when I keep putting my foot in my mouth!

[Kenny_S]

Dave, That must be the the hip part that is bothering you. The foot in mouth clear up to the hip eh?

[Tarik]

It actually happens to me a lot. I clenche my theet so hard that my dentist was afraid I could broke a thoot. Once my jaw stayed totally fixed and I had to go to the hospital.

The dentist made a mouth guard, one adapted specially to me and I have to use it every night. Sometimes I use it to carve too.

[Marci MN]

And me.. I'm the other way. I am one of those folks who have the tongue moving just as fast as my hands. Hubby gets a kick out of watching me.. then he will mimic my mouth movements and roll his eyes at me. LOL

[Kenny_S]

Don't feel lonely Marci, My little * year old Grand daughter is following in her mother's (my daughter) footsteps. I thouight maybe when my D got olders she would have grown out of that habit. NO! But she marked my GD for sure.



In my wife's family there are several who grits their teeth and a nice is so bad that she wakes up to Migraines almost daily and my Father in law has had to have all of his teeth pulled due to grinding his teeth at night to the point of grinding them down to almost nothing.

[jillsy]

*OUCH* Sounds this you guys all know what I'm talking about - the grinding the teeth down to nothing gives me the chills just thinking about it.

Marci, I'm not exactly sure WHAT you mean by your tongue thrashing about, but it's cracking me up just picturing it!

[Ron Davidson]

I guess the only solution I know is to take and use a mouth peice. You are supposed to relax when you carve at least that's one reason I carve. I just have to stop when arther act's up.

[Ashbys]

I never seem to get tense when carving as long as I don't use power tools. And when you carve outside , in a live tree or set up your work to be done outside and you feel the wind with a light breeze , the sun keeping you warm , woodpeckers peckeing , robins singing , jays chirping , sparrows chating , it is just too perfect to think of much else, but if I turn on any power tools I lock up and want to scream. So I guess as long as I keep my little hammer and just chip away I will keep my teeth .

Ash

[Thomp]

marci when i was a kid i chewed my toungue when my hands was busy, apperently this was inhereted by my son and grand son,,,

dad use to catch us not paying attention and use a knuclke under our chin with a quick flick of his wrist he would make us bite our toungue. or bump it with our teeth.. trying to catch us off guard got harder and harder but as my brothers and myself growed out of it my son 26 wears out his toungue while working still...

i winder where we learned that from.... mom never did it.