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Home | Meet Us | Meet Our Dental Patients | Dental Patient Services Are you experiencing head pain?
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The FDA has cleared for marketing for the first time, a device that prevents medically diagnosed migraine pain, tension-type headache, and jaw disorders ("TMJ"), without drugs or surgery, through the reduction of trigeminally innervated muscular activity. Migraine Prevention -- Headache Prevention The N.T.I. Tension Suppression System is a prefabricated polycarbonate matrix that a dental practitioner retro-fits to the patient's teeth . It is completely different from any other type of mouthpiece. Here's the rationale. |
Chronic symptoms of the head and neck can often be attributed to:
Contraction of the lateral pterygoid (B, above) simply moves the jaw sideways (or if both contract, front wards). If the temporalis (A, above) contracts simultaneously (clenching), the intensity of the temporalis contraction dictates the degree of resistance the lateral pterygoids encounter when they attempt to move the jaw sideways (grinding). As temporalis contraction intensity increases, the lateral pterygoids must work harder, creating symptoms where the lateral pterygoid muscle is attached: at the jaw joint and sinuses. This conflicting and/or isometric contracting of the musculature (called "parafunction", which occurs during sleep with considerable intensities) obligates the trapezius (across your upper back and shoulders and attaches at the base of the skull, C, above) to maintain a tightened posture, thereby causing stiff and sore shoulders and/or neck. |
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(above) When there is temporalis contraction (clenching) exclusively (no lateral pterygoid activity, that is, not sideways of forward movement), the jaw joint and sinuses are less strained, while resultant temporalis pain may be considerable. Tension-type headache patients without jaw disorders clench their jaws 14 times more intensely while sleeping than do asymptomatic controls You can feel your temporalis muscles bulging out when clenching vigorously. "Traditional" full coverage dental mouthpieces. Top: Soft and covers over the entire arch Bottom: Hard and covers only the biting surfaces |
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A traditional dental mouthpiece, or splint, reduces the resistance to side-to-side movement thereby reducing the effort and resultant strain to the jaw joint and sinuses (so long as clenching intensity isn't too intense). However, the same splint also provides an ideal clenching surface, where maximum clenching intensity may increase and/or allow jaw joint problems to perpetuate. |
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| The NTI device is a pre-fabricated matrix that your dentist retro-fits and customizes to your front teeth (sometimes the device is adapted to the lower front teeth...it will still work the same). |
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If only the front teeth are engaged (like biting on a pencil, for example), the temporalis is prevented from achieving its maximum contraction intensity! The NTI device snaps into place and fits comfortably on either the upper or lower front teeth. It is worn during sleep and prevents the intensity of muscular parafunction. For migraine sufferers, there is a more discreet version for daytime use, which is usually required (in addition to the pictured nighttime device) for 6 to 8 weeks for best results. Chronic, intense nighttime muscular parafunction has been shown to be a considerable influence on the triggering of migraine events. In clinical trials, 82% of medically diagnosed migraine patients had a 77% reduction in migraine episodes within the first eight weeks of use. |
How an NTI-tss works
This is a simple demonstration of the efficacy of the NTI-tss device.
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Begin by gently biting on the moon portion of your fingernail, using your central incisors. Only be forceful enough to create slight discomfort.
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Now attempt to use the same amount of force, but this time bite with a canine tooth on the same spot of your fingernail as you did with the central incisors.
What happens? Biting with the canine tooth is suddenly more painful than with the incisors... Why?
The incisor teeth are intended to not only incise food, but to be "hardness monitors" of what you're biting into. They are under your control and tell you if something will be to hard to chew.
The canine teeth are designed for grasping and pressing into what it is that you're trying to hold on to (carnivores specifically use the canine teeth for this purpose). The intensity of muscular activity created once the canine teeth have been engaged is under less voluntary control. In fact, the message to the brain is: "We've opened our mouth to grab something and have caught it...hold on!" The contacting of canine teeth encourages jaw clenching!
Dentistry's attempt at dealing with parafunctional jaw muscle activity (the most destructive of which is jaw clenching) has been to provide alterations of the biting surfaces of the teeth.
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A full coverage splint, usually a thickness which mimics the intended space between the teeth when the jaw musculature is supposed to be at rest, provides both canine and posterior teeth contact, thereby allowing for perpetuation of parafunctional (nighttime clenching) muscular activity.
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By increasing the thickness of the splint, clenching intensity may be altered, depending on the amount of pressure applied to particular teeth. If contacts are "heavier" in the molar region, clenching intensity can be suppressed slightly. If contacting is prevalent in the canine region, clenching is reflexive and perpetuates.
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An anterior bite plane reduces parafunctional intensity of the masseters (the muscles on the sides of your jaw, primarily involved in chewing, not clenching), and to a degree, the lateral pterygoids (the tiny muscles at your jaw joints that open your jaw), but still provides canine contact for temporalis clenching.
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| The NTI-tss device (above) reduces clenching intensity by exploiting the mechanisms of the incisor teeth and by preventing the engagement of the canine and molar teeth when the jaw is centered (A), and when it is in excursive positions (B). | ||
If you are not in Dallas, Ft. Worth, Irving, Coppell, Carrollton, Bedford, Euless, Hurst, Arlington, Farmers Branch, Flower Mound, Grand Prairie, Las Colinas, Plano, Richardson, Lewisville, Denton, Grapevine, Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Frisco, McKinney, Mesquite, North Richland Hills, or The Colony, just send us an e-mail and we will assist you in locating a doctor who can help you with an NTI device.
* You recently fitted me for the NTI device, and I want you to know that I have had immediate relief from my early morning headaches. As you know, I've dealt with tension and migraine headaches for many years and no headache therapy has relieved the pain as quickly and effectively as the NTI. Thank you for making this device available to me. ~J. T.
* I want to thank you for fitting me with the lower NTI. This new device has been a blessing. I am able to sleep more comfortably with it and I have had NO headaches or sensitivity in my teeth since using it for the last 4 weeks. You and your staff are absolutely amazing and it is so nice to feel as if I come first when dealing with your office. I appreciate the honesty and the attention I receive from you. LK
* I have been wearing the NTI splint, and haven't run into any problems at all with it. Since I have been wearing the NTI splint, I haven't had headaches in the morning and I have been sleeping great! Thanks, Heather
* I have been wearing it for about a month now. Within a couple of days I no longer had headaches when I woke up. I faithfully use it every night. I owe you big time. I might not have ever known about the NTI device had it not been for your diagnosis. Thanks for all your help. Ginger
* My new NTI is working just great! I was so excited...it was a good reason to turn the TV off half an hour early. Woke up this morning feeling I'd had a better night's sleep than I have in ages. Thanks again! Merry Christmas and I'll see you in 2005. Jeri
* Yes, you'll be proud to know that I did, in fact, keep it in all night. It took a little getting used to, but all in all it was just fine. As for how I'm feeling today, I can definitely say that my jaw feels less tight/more relaxed. And there's considerably less popping. And surprisingly to me I'd say that my usual neck/shoulder stiffness right now is about 90% less than usual. Now, I don't know if it's a placebo effect or what, but so far so good! My bite feels a little weird, but I expected that. Re: my phantom tooth pain, I actually chewed on a carrot yesterday and nothing. Maybe I'll start keeping a journal to see when it appears! :) Stephanie
4301 N. MacArthur, Suite 100 Irving, Texas 75038
Irving, Dallas, Las Colinas, Fort Worth, Texas, Sedation Dentist, Kent Smith, Jeff Roy, DDS, Headache, Migraine, Headache Docs, NTI-tss, NTI Device
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