DIY Dentistry

I have a headache today.  It's from grinding my teeth.  I'm never aware I'm doing it until I get TMJ pain, which thankfully is almost never. At the moment,  I can barely open my jaw without pain.

Many years ago my dentist informed me that I needed a bite guard to prevent damage to my teeth, as well as the joint in my jaw.  Remembering how well I did as a teenager wearing my retainer after my braces came off, I was hesitant  I think that retainer saw the inside of my mouth a dozen times total.....and I'm probably stretching my recall.  Reluctantly I agreed to the bite guard.

After impressions of my teeth and bite were taken, the guard was ordered and my wallet emptied. My dental insurance covered just enough to say they contributed.  In other words, very little.

I am a repeat offender.  I wore that bite guard as much as I wore my retainer.  I couldn't stand that thing in my mouth while trying to sleep.  The drooling alone was enough to make me not want to sleep with myself!

Fast forward.  Pain again. Threw the costly bite guard out years ago.  So....since it's the age of Do It Yourself, I went to the corner drugstore and bought a bite guard, actually a two for one sale!  Who could resist?!  You boil water in a cup, wait ten seconds after taking it out of the micro, then drop the guard in the hot water for 30 second.  While it is warm and malleable you place it in your mouth, take your thumbs and mold it around your teeth, all the while sucking the air out from between the roof of your mouth and guard with your tongue.  This should have been recorded for Funniest Home Videos, I'm not joking!

I put my newly made bite guard in.  Very confident am I that I have solved my problem.  It doesn't bother me at all during the night, I never woke up. I am so smart!

When I woke up it was on the pillow next to me. My jaw still hurts.

Should I Stay or Should I Go

Hello there!
I used to be on Blogger...got bored with my self and quit.  I went to Word Press and didn't find it as easy to use.  So....guess who's back to Blogger?  I'm going to change the name I used to have here from Living on Grace to My Slightly Imperfect Life.  Seems once you are a blogger drop out....your former blog name goes into a black hole never to be used again.  That's OK, I'm ready for a fresh start.
I dropped out of the blog world because I felt I had nothing interesting to write about.  Then after the passing of one of my dear blog friends, I realize that what she wrote about....her life....was exactly what I longed to read about.  Daily ups and downs.  Waiting for the flowers to pop up in the spring.
Enjoying the first snow and barely hanging on at the end of a long winter.  And what could be more joyful then the birth of a grandchild!
I have happily connected with several blogging friends on Face Book.  I love that our friendships have extended a bit further.  However, I find Face Book to be an appetizer, where blogging is the main course.  There is where friendships have been made and hopefully continue to be made.
If I can remember how, I will try to put a prettier face on this page.  If not....it will be without make-up, just like me on many occasion. Even without mascara, you'll always get the real me.