I woke up this morning exhausted. Not because I stayed up late with schoolwork or a movie, but because of a little contraption I brought home from the dentist the other day. Years of raising kids, trudging through my master's degree program, work, and just normal life has caused me to pick up a nasty little habit of clenching and grinding my teeth at night. I've known about this problem for a while, and so has my dentist, but I just couldn't bring myself to do something about it after years spent with braces and retainers--the last thing I want is to revert back to having something wrapped around my teeth at night again. And now I'm at the point where I have some serious wear on my molars. Behold, the thing that will save my teeth:
No, it's not soft, thin and plasticky like today's retainers worn after braces--this thing is a thick, hard, molded piece of clear I-don't-know-what. One thing's for sure--it does not feel remotely natural in my mouth and I tossed and turned all night trying to get used to it. And here I am this morning, exhausted. But my teeth were protected, and it's worth it to stay away from the dreaded dentist's chair!
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