So i went to the dentist today after having pretty bad pains in my jaw for sometime, and he informs me that it is caused by grinding my teeth without even knowing it, in particular while asleep, but also quite a bit during the day. Apparently it is brought on by stress and anxiety. Which would explain why the pain has been getting worse over the past few weeks, as i have been having alot more nightmares and a generally hard time with things.
He suggested that if it doesnt improve with heat packs and pain killers(which i do not want to take) i will have to wear a mouthguard type thing at night, which i am fine with, if it stops it hurting!
But one thing i cant get my head around, is how i am supposed to stop doing it even when i try all those anxiety and stress reducing techniques if i dont even know i am doing it in the first place. Ultimately i would not want to wear a mouthguard at night for the rest of my life, but i have no idea how to control it, especially when i am asleep!
As soon as i got back from the dentist i rang my counsellor, who i told i wanted to work on this when she gets back from holidays in 2 weeks, i guess thats a start to letting her know things i wanna talk about without forgetting them as soon as i get my sessions!