Lips Together, Teeth Apart

I posted about a month and half ago about the fact that I was grinding my teeth at night. Last Wednesday my jaw was killing me most of the day, and I decided enough was enough. I tried to find a mouthguard that would not cause TMJ, but I couldn't. I did however come across some interesting advice. On one mouthguard site they were talking about how the mouthguard should be seen as a temporary solution, and that the long-term answer was behavior modification. I had never considered this possibility before. They used the phrase "Lips together, teeth apart". Seeing as how this was also something that Holli told me as a way to control teeth grinding, I thought there must be something to it. So, it is my new mantra. And I have to say that it has been a little bit of a struggle for me so far. I have always thought that it was better on your jaw to have your teeth closed together most of the time. I think I may be making some progress, though, because I really do notice when my teeth touch now. Oddly enough, Holli discovered that "Lips Together, Teeth Apart" is also the name of a play by Terrence McNally, which I had never heard of before. It's a sign I tell you!