I grind my teeth so much they’re starting to disappear – pieces fly onto my plate as I eat dinner

ELEVEN years ago, Michelle Waldron posed for the camera wearing her graduation gown and mortarboard, flashing a big smile full of pearly white teeth.

But now, her smile is a very different story – if she dares to smile at all.

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Michelle, 34, suffers from bruxism, or teeth grinding.

She grinds her two rows of teeth against each other at all times, day and night – being worse at night.

“It happens all the time,” she says.

“Whether it’s watching a pop concert or something I’m enjoying on TV, I find myself grinding my teeth.”

This grinding – which she has been doing for 10 years – meant her rodents were literally ground up, to the point where she found bits of teeth flying across her plate as she ate dinner.

What remains are what might be called “stumps” – small sections of tooth with large spaces between them, where teeth used to meet.

The condition has left Michelle, who lives in Ireland, extremely depressed.

If someone is taking a photo, she forces a tight-lipped grimace, refusing to show a toothy smile for fear of ridicule.

Overall, Michelle’s confidence is at an all-time low.

It will cost almost £3,000 to fix her teeth, on top of the £2,000 she has already forked out for retainers, which she cannot afford.

Botox is also said to help with the condition, but again, she can’t afford it.

Dentists say Michelle, who has been grinding her teeth since she was 20, has a very deep bite.

And while most people brux when they’re stressed or anxious, Michelle does it even when she’s happier, at a pop concert, watching Coronation Street or dancing and having fun.

“I really don’t want to grind all my teeth,” says Michelle, who still has between 80 and 90 percent of her teeth remaining but is worried that could soon change.

“It’s already embarrassing, but not having any more teeth in my mouth, I don’t want to think about how bad that will be.

“I don’t have the confidence right now as it is.”

I end up spitting at people when I’m talking through the cracks in my teeth

Michelle Waldron

She adds: “Where I’ve had the fillings in my front teeth rectified, my smile just doesn’t look like it used to and it’s embarrassing.

“I also end up spitting at people when I talk through cracked teeth.”

Michelle noticed the problem in her early 20s after a dentist appointment for an abscess.

“The dentist hit him with a hammer, which caused enormous pain,” she says.

“Then he put a needle in my gum and the bacteria came out.

“I also had a loose tooth at the time that was going to fall out anyway, so it was removed.

“After that, things only got worse over time.”

‘CONDITION FOR LIFE’

Michelle had fillings, which she had ground out, and a £700 bridge which she ended up grinding out too.

“I’ve always been good with my dental hygiene,” she says.

“I like sugary treats as much as the next person and have had a few fillings, but I always make sure my teeth are really clean.”

Although Michelle grinds her teeth all the time, it can be worse when she is focused on something.

“I try to practice meditation and go to the gym to improve my mental health, but I no longer feel like smiling,” she says.

“Many people go abroad for dental care, to Turkey for example, to take advantage of their cheap packages, but if something goes wrong there is no aftercare and that is a big concern for me.

“I got an estimate of £2,700 for a full set of composites from a dentist in Ireland, so I’m saving up for that now. In the meantime, I wear my retainers as much as I can.

“Bruxism is a lifelong condition for me – it’s not going anywhere.

“All I want is to be able to smile with confidence again.”

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