You know how we cannot control what we do when we sleep?
Well I curl up my right hand into a fist, and bring it right up to my mouth, and it presses on one of my front teeth. I've probably been doing this for years, in my sleep.
How do I know this? Well I have had off and on pain in that front tooth, that has progressively become worse. One morning recently I even woke up with my lip swollen right above that tooth for the first couple hours after I woke up. My dentist has taken xrays of it and says it has gone through trauma of some kind. Well I know what kind...my fist.
And I don't think it has helped that I use my front teeth to open zip lock bags when I am packing Dennis' lunch each day. Just bad habits that I didn't know were harmful till just recently.
The pain has become worse lately and more often.
Last Saturday we went to the Bone Store trying to look for a solution...trying to find some mechanism to wear perhaps at night on my right hand so I can't curl it up in a fist when I am sleeping. I told the lady there, "I have a problem you have never heard before." She looked at me like she was thinking, 'yeah right'. Then I told her what it was. I don't know why she thought it was funny but I could tell she was trying not to laugh.
She said she had nothing to help me. I asked if they have splints for broken fingers....maybe something like that would help me to keep my hand straight at night. She said no, I would need to go to a drug store for that.
So this is what we came up with:
That is scotch tape all around my fingers.
(so I can't make a fist in my sleep)
(so I can't make a fist in my sleep)
So who would have ever thought that by wearing this, my tooth might get better. Otherwise my dentist is going to send me to a nerve specialist. I didn't know they had those.I probably won't get many comments from this post....it's not like you are going to write and say, oh I have that problem too....but if you can think of any solution at all that I might try, would you please let me know? I wonder if hypno-therapy would work.
The more I think about this, I have probably been doing this all my life.
Probably since the womb.
Why I am putting this on my blog?
Just on the outside chance someone has any advice for me.
19 comments:
Hi Jill, You might want to try a device that's advertised on TV that prevents you from snoring. It's plastic and fits in your mouth. It seems as if you try this you might not put your finger in your mouth. That's all I want to say. Love, Dad
Dear Jill, Your dad was dictating to me the previous blog. I wasn't supposed to actually type the "That's all I want to say." He was talking to me. We're still laughing. It sounds like he's quoting Forrest Gump. Anyway, putting on a mitten with cardboard on the front and back of the hand part might help? Love, Susan
Jill, that is so strange, but I'll tell you, as odd as it may sound,that tape might do the trick! Oh...the wonders of tape. Dad can tell you that when Kim and I were younger, we actually had to use tape to close our mouths at night while sleeping! It was doctor's orders from the orthodontist! Supposedly there was some connection at the time about sleeping with your mouth open and crooked teeth. Hmmm...
Hey I like the mitten idea with the cardboard. Dennis thinks I should put a boxing glove on but I don't think that would work. I don't put my finger in my mouth...my fist just rests right outside my mouth, right above my lip so I don't think the snoring device would work but I will look into that.
That is so odd Kris. I can't imagine what tape would have to do with crooked teeth, but I do remember your dad telling me that story.
I got thes metal finger clamps from the drug store that has a little foamy thing lining and you clamp it on a finger ( you might have to get 5 but that would keep your fingers from curling since it goes over the top of youf finger and clamps at the base of your finger. You need to put tape around it to keep it on. Just one time around the clamp.
Another thing they did to keep Jasmine from pulling I.V's out was put a stiff board and wrapped it in place with a ace bandage to the tips of her fingers. That kept her from bending her arms and curling her fingers. She was Hoodini. She still managed to pull the IV's out with the very tips of her index finger and thumb totally stiff.
The father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding used windex for zits. Maybe spraying a little on your fist might work. L.O.L. Please forgive me. Cousin Kathy
Mom, why don't you just restrain your arm? Tie your wrist to something? That way you can't get your hand near your mouth.
Or you could get a straight jacket and tie just one arm around you.
Or you could wear a football helmet to bed.
Or you could go to a therapist to work out the childhood issue that's causing this.
I didn't know you did this, but come to think of it I do have a clear picture in my mind's eye of what you look like when you sleep and your hand is always brought up. Weird.
You are all so entertaining. I've had a good laugh. You are so right Brock, I do sleep with my hand curled up to my mouth. I guess I always have. I sure wish I would have figured this out years and years ago. I've done terrible tooth damage. And your idea about tying my hand to something...sounds good but how does one move in bed that way? Like roll over?
LISA...I'm going to talk to you later about those finger clamps. if they are long enough they just might work. The scotch tape I wear is so noisy at night and it gets uncomfortable by 4am.
If the mitten with cardboard doesn't work (could be easy to pull your hand out of in your sleep, depending on how determined you are), you could try taping/hot gluing popsicle/kraft sticks to the fingers of some cheap gloves from target or kmart. or just tape the mitten to your wrist so you can't remove it. good luck!
Hey Heidi, that just might work. I like the idea of making this and then just putting it on each night..rather than going through some long routine every night. This just might work because it would keep my fingers straight.
I'm guessing you started doing that around 6 or 8 when Richard was cracking his knucles at night - probably some sort of self defense mechanism.
Hi Jill, I asked John (he is a dentist, I'm not sure if you know this), this is what he said: " maybe your dentist could make you a hard mouth guard. That would protect your sore front teeth. If worse comes to worse, you could go to a place that does sleep studies and they could perhaps help you overcome that habit. I liked boxing glove idea though! I will ask for more ideas in my Dental Forum and let you know what they come up with."
I would love it if you would do that for me Rebecca.
You could alway just get bandage tape for your fingers. Wrap them in bandages/rolled guaze and then tape them with bandage tape. Softer and alot quieter. Not too mention a cheap and easy solution. ReAnna use to suck her first two fingers at night as a baby and it was causing her to choke at night. So I did the above to her fingers, after she fell asleep, and she eventually stopped completely
What about putting your arm in a sling? Would that work without being too uncomfortable?
What about covering a glove in the stuff used to make casts Not completely covering it but just on the palm side of the hand so you can easily get the glove off and on... Good luck Jill. There must be some way to break your sleeping habit...not that you would...but don't forget to pray.
OH...my. word. Do you see all these comments? Brock is about as hysterical a commentor as I've ever seen. So many talented boys. One juggles, one is a comedian/comic, one advertisement genius, one is wonder dad! I mean there's no end in sight!
Let's not forget the power of prayer!!! No gimmicks or expense. Just prayer.
Jill, ask God to solve this issue. The rest of us commenters can pray for you. I will be.
For a romantic touch, as you pray and fall asleep, Dennis can be holding your hand.
xoxoxo,
Michigan Pam
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