Everyone clenches and grinds their teeth now and then.
In fact, it is a normal stress-related response; however, if habitual and intense, this “bruxism” will lead to tooth structure breakdown, gum recession, and eventual tooth loss. You can have perfect hygiene habits and still lose your teeth, simply due to bruxing! The good news is that we can do something about it. At our Bethlehem and Lehigh Valley dentist’s office, we can fabricate a small, barely noticeable appliance to prevent your teeth surfaces from grinding down on each other, the NTI night guard. That keeps the rest of the teeth apart, preventing the patient from biting down and grinding the teeth with thousands of pounds of pressure during sleep.
Destruction of your teeth is not the only concern with excessive grinding. Chronic, intense nighttime muscular parafunction has been shown to be a considerable influence on the triggering of migraine events. The Federal Drug Administration has recently approved a brand new treatment for migraines – and you can get it from Dr. Shane Klingonsmith. This new treatment is called The NTI Tension Suppression System. The device involves placement of a small, removable appliance that fits over the front teeth and is worn primarily at night. It works by reducing night clenching activity by up to two thirds. There are NO DRUGS involved in the treatment.
Results of clinical trials of the NTI have shown:
- No side effects and no new pain
- 82% of NTI users had a 77% average reduction in migraine events
- Nausea episodes were reduced by 78%
- Light sensitive episodes were reduced by 66%
- Sound sensitive episodes were reduced by 68%
It is a type of mouth guard designed reduce the clenching and grinding of the jaw while you sleep. That, in turn, may stop pressure on the temporalis, a major jaw muscle.
The NTI nightguards or stressbreaker is the best protection for those that are damaging their teeth and /or TMJ at night, (or while driving, working at the computer, etc) and for migraine headache treatment. In addition, our Bethlehem – Lehigh Valley dentist’s office will construct custom athletic mouthguards to protect the dentition during contact sports.