u/ssouxxie

I got a night guard about 2 weeks ago. I figured it wouldn't work, but my dentist and doctor wanted it as a first step.

I noticed that my right side teeth touch the guard before my left side teeth.

The first week was hell and gave me awful flare ups. The second week felt like my normal day to day. Not better and not worse. Going into week three, I noticed that my tmd pain is now mostly on the right. Again, the pain is not better or worse, just moved.

Has anyone else experienced this?

What does less harm? Wearing the night guard or not?

It definitely helps protect my teeth from clenching at night. Or is the imbalance causing the clenching?

I have just started to come to terms with the fact that my parents are emotionally neglectful and my dad has narcissistic tendencies.

We have become low-contact after I moved states 3 years ago. At first, we tried to keep in touch, but they eventually stopped calling. I realized that when I call them, it's not a conversation. They talk, and I listen. I stopped going out of my way to call, too.

My birthday was on the 3rd—no call or text from either of them. My dad posted about my birthday on Facebook, but never tagged me. He knows I don't use Facebook, and it typically takes me a week to see anything he sends me. If I hadn't happened to be scrolling, I wouldn't have seen it. It feels like he posted it for himself, not me.

My brother called me that night after I had gone to bed, so I called him back on the 4th. I told him how our parents didn't call or text me. He talked to my mom, and she texted me that night

"I promise I didn't forget your birthday but I didn't think you wanted me to call you at 8 o'clock Sunday morning. Keep forgetting about the time difference. Was going to call tonight but Oldest Brother said you go to bed early since you have to be at work early. I'll try to call tomorrow. Hope you had a great birthday. Love you."

She called me on the 5th, and I didn't answer.

My dad keeps sending me links to fb videos. I can't bring myself to reply.

I think it stings so much because it really solidifies things for me. Now I have to accept that they weren't the parents that I needed and probably never will be. I feel so sad, but at the same time I feel like I'm overreacting.