grinding teeth/clenching jaw

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I been thinking about this a lot recently. I have always clenched my jaw and in turn, this makes my teeth grind slightly. I'm not sure if it's a stim, but i do it without thinking, I have tried to stop, but it's hard to stop something when you don't even realise you're doing it.

Anywho, I think i know 'why' i do it. I feel like i have to do in order to stay in control. For example, placing an egg into a pan - i have to clench my jaw, otherwise i feel i would drop it or place it in the pan too carelessly that it will break. Or when I am walking because if i don't I might fall over. Every action I take I must clench my jaw or i will lose control of my motor functions.

It sounds stupid when i think about it. As if i could actually lose balance and fall over while walking lol I don't think I would, but an inner part of me believes it so much lol

I almost constantly grind my teeth , clench my jaw , play tunes chattering my teeth.

I also do it without realising , when I consciously try to stop doing it , I start feeling weird like I'm holding my breath

haha yes!! That's exactly how it feels lol

Your dentist can tell you if your grinding is excessive, and how to break the habit. People often link two actions in memory when only one is helping. Olympic rowers have to learn to not grimace, to save energy. A golf follow-through does nothing for the ball, but planning on it helps most golfers hit better. How people dance while playing piano boggles my mind, but it is the usual case, at least from the waist up. I think we use motor neurons to supplement our short-term memory, with many odd side effects.

I am not a dentist fan. At all :-/

But maybe i should invest in a mouth guard. I've never entertained the idea because i just simply dont want one. I don't want anything plasticky in my mouth.

But, maybe i really should

Try wood. You get splinters for memory aids.

I have a mouth guard for my grinding and clenching.
It doesn't stop it but saves my teeth from further damage.

I was dubious at first but got used to it quite quickly.

I do too, for sleeping with. I put it in for about ten minutes when I went to bed each night and then if I hadn't fallen asleep I took it out, within a week I was used to it and falling asleep with it in. It cost about £200 and they're made to measure but they last depending on how much you grind teeth as you sleep.

It does not sound stupid at all. Many people on the spectrum experience this insecurity because of proprioceptive impairment. The feeling like you are going to fall over.

I clench whenever I look at animals or something cute. I kinda feel like I'm chewing into it, but the moment I look away it stops.

You will certainly notice it at first but it feels more rubbery than plasticky, there's no chance of swallowing it, which I had worried about.

Yeah it fits quite securely so it won't fall out.
Also, you can get them for upper teeth or lower teeth.
I prefer my lower guard for some reason.

they cost that much??

I'm constantly clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth and it's usually because I've been thinking about a past social encounter that didn't go well. IE - An argument I had, a conversation that ended poorly, an opportunity for an NT to say something nice but did not or the worst one is when I've been bullied which is literally hundreds of times throughout my life. Having OCD doesn't help this because I've literally thought about the same argument a million times and I can't seem to stop.

Another aspect of jaw clenching is my ADHD and whenever I am sitting still for any length of time I automatically start clenching my jaw. This could be a combination of my fighting to sit still and/or stimming when I am immobile. I haven't figured out which.

I've often found that jaw clenching to be another form of stim and one that I'm trying to get out of because it ruins my teeth. I would rather just do the stereotypical autistic actions like rocking back and forth and brushing the side of my head or tapping my leg but this would be a problem in my workplace. They don't take kindly to the mentally disabled - truck drivers are the biggest bullies on the planet.

I've found I do this all the time, my jaw can get really painful! I tried to stop it, but I simply don't even realise I have been doing it! And when I do force myself to stop it feels like my mouth is hanging open, as though clenching it stops it from falling out or something xD its rather odd. I think it's the same as foot tapping for me. I've always had to be moving in some way since I was a kid lol.

Yes, the dentest makes a mold of your teeth and sends it off and then it comes back and they fit it to you, so I can see why it's expensive. I think they don't get anything from the NHS because it's not essential work.

If you wanted to try something for day time maybe a boxing guard (do they come between the teeth?) or is there something for people who have fits (because they can bite their tongs)