When we had guests from Europe a month ago I clearly had anxiety hidden beneath a normal exterior. I was obviously clenching and grinding my teeth so severely that it caused a toothache. It was so bad that I went to the dentist, but he said nothing was wrong other than the clenching and grinding. He told me I needed a mouth guard, but I refused it.

When our guests left, my tooth pain eased, but about two weeks ago I stopped my Ativan with my psychiatrist's permission. A few days later, the tooth pain returned. Now it's sometimes my whole jaw on the left side of my mouth. I'm trying not to clench and grind during the day, but it seems like I've started doing so during my sleep, too. We can't easily afford a dentist made mouth guard, and the OTC one is uncomfortable. I wonder if I should take a little Ativan again. Maybe every other day.