Yesterday, I was sleeping, and suddenly at 3:30 a.m. I was not. I heard and felt what I would describe as a cracking, which turned out to be another jaw-clenching moment in my sleep. The force is incredible; apparently, the jaw muscles are among the strongest in the body.

This time there was crunchy grit between my upper and lower right molars, and my tongue and finger felt a rough edge on an upper right molar. Yes, I had managed to break off a piece of enamel. Fortunately, someone had kindly canceled their 12:30 p.m. dental appointment so I could get in my regular cleaning (scheduled for August 23) and have my tooth smoothed out a bit. After being asked about my stress level, I received an interesting lecture about how I have bone loss between my teeth that’s probably the result of bruxism and jaw clenching and that can lead to periodontal disease as the supporting tissues break down.

Yes. I am ready for a night guard. Two impressions and $500 later, I will be picking mine up next Thursday.

Last night I drank chamomile tea and tried to sleep with my mouth open. It isn’t pretty, but at least it keeps my unsupervised teeth from doing battle whilst I dream.