Is it normal that my jaw feels out of alignment after I take out the SleepRight®?

Yes, it is normal when using a teeth grinding guard. Generally, habitual teeth grinding and clenching from excessive muscle activity, referred to in medical and dental terms as bruxism, not only causes damage to the teeth, but also compresses the jaw joints. This joint compression, over time, may cause the jaw to shift to a more posterior position as the inclines of the outer surfaces of the lower front teeth rub against the inner inclines of the upper front teeth forcing the jaw backward. If the muscle activity and teeth grinding is aggressive enough, you can wear down your back teeth further compressing the joint capsule. This is such a common problem that nearly 70 – 75% of our population is effected by this neuromuscular disorder. It can cause deterioration of the components and joint spaces in the jaw joint capsule.

When you are wearing the SleepRight® dental guard, the joints are decompressed and if you have modified your behavior to control the muscle activity, the lower jaw will relax to a more physiologically healthy position with a small shift forward. This is the realignment that you feel. You wouldn’t need teeth grinding mouth guards if everything were ideal. When this happens, your front teeth may be the only teeth that touch as you attempt to slowly close down. This reflects a small soft tissue change that rebounds or returns the lower to it’s former position as you talk and eat. If you have not successfully developed a good habit of “lips together and teeth apart”, your habitual teeth grinding and clenching will again take over. As you wean yourself off the teeth grinding guard, your self-taught protective mechanism is "lips together, teeth apart”, a habit that is now in your subconscious that no longer needs your conscious supervision. Your teeth and jaw joints are much healthier and your teeth do not suffer cosmetic damage from the constant clenching and grinding.