trying to grind my braces off... (day 15 already!)

i've been hearing a funky noise in my mouth when i notice i'm grinding/clenching/sliding my bite, so i was just checking my braces out in the mirror to see what's going on in there. it appears that when I grind my teeth at night (such a great habit to have btw) or do those other things, I'm hitting my very back lower right molar and the crown in front of it on part of the massive band/headgear tube/rubberband attachment/mess of metal on my upper right molar. not a huge deal but it's now left a metallic mark on my teeth on the bottom and I know it can't be good for my tooth to be repeatedly grinded against chunk of metal for 6-8 hours (ha! like I ever sleep 8 hours!) a night.

dr hobday had talked about maybe needing a bite plate of some kind at night as i have had one for the past 13 years. i haven't worn it for the last 6 months, it hasn't fit it since i got my 3 crowns. while i have been fine without it during that time (other than the monthly headaches and such), it doesn't look like i will be fine now. it looks like i'll need something to protect my teeth and braces from myself, this whole procedure is costing enough $, i don't want to wreck my teeth and cause damage! or screw up my ortho work and need to fix hardware that i've broken or need to have my braces stay in longer/push back surgery as a result of the grinding. that would not be cool.

i called the ortho office to see what they say. chick thought it was weird that it was leaving marks (go me!). she said i could come in earlier, but dr. hobday is in rogers today plus, i am at work and don't have access to a car. she seems to think that it would be ok to wait until i come in on the 7th, and i think so too i guess (i don't have any time to come in earlier!). she said we'll definitely talk about it next time with dr. hobday and will probably make a night bite guard.

ha! like i need more stuff in my mouth! plus i don't understand how that really works... how does it stay on your teeth yet let your teeth move from the braces? do you have to make a new one every week or every adjustment? is it just a sports mouthguard to keep your teeth apart and protected from each other or ??? plus, not that it's not obvious something is needed, it will be an additional charge on top of the rest of this. for some reason i think i remember a price of under $100, and i know that when you are talking $10K+ for all of this, what's another $100, especilly when it is to help the bottom line goal. it still sucks!

in the meantime, i have put some wax on that band back there. i hope it will help during the day when i unconsiously slightly grind/slide my teeth. hopefully if it bumps that i'll notice and stop doing it... i hope. at night, well, guess we'll wait to see what dr. hobday says, a blob of wax won't stop me from doing anything at night. i grind holes through plastic bite plates, wax won't stop me.