People who grind their teeth at night can cause serious damage to their teeth and jaws. They are often fitted with mouthguards that distribute the pressure more evenly so that they don't do as much damage. Unfortunately, these fail to work if they just encourage the grinder to continue grinding, so I propose making a mouthguard that senses grinding and provides a stimulus to discourage grinding.

This is based on the classic "Pavlov's dog" idea of psychological conditioning. This basic idea has been used to cure bedwetters.

The sensor can either be mechanical or electrical. Electrical is more elegant, but it may not be a good idea to place an electrical device in one's mouth. An electrical sensor would simply be a circuit that is completed when pressure is applied by the jaw. The response would be either vibration, or possibly shocking. Often it is enough to let the person know that they are grinding, so vibration should be enough.

A mechanical feedback mouthguard might include a tounge depresser that is pushed against the patient's tounge when pressure is applied to the mouthguard. Another option is to have a pouch that excretes a bitter gel when pressure is applied--but this would be difficult to maintain.

The mouthguards currently used are around $50, but some patients bite through these so they can also get metal ones that costs hundreds of dollars, if not a couple thousand dollars. Considering the cost of the current mouthguards and the cost of visiting the doctor, I think the expense of sensor-feedback mouthguards would be reasonable.

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