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Did you know that approximately 30 million adults are affected by bruxism (clenching or grinding of teeth)? Bruxism is most commonly linked to stress and can also be the body’s reaction to teeth being aligned wrong, a side effect of medication, or even sleep apnea. It often occurs during sleep.
Symptoms of bruxism are jaw tension, neck pain, facial pain, headaches, migraines, and even damaged teeth and broken fillings.
Studies show that a person can brux as much as 40 minutes of every hour of sleep and that bruxing occurs in both REM and non REM sleep. Many sufferers will notice a pattern of waking with pain or headaches that is gradually diminish throughout the day only to begin the next morning.
Oral devices such as night guards are commonly used to prevent bruxism. The idea of a guard is to separate the teeth to prevent further damage as well as put less stress on the muscles and joints in the head and neck area.
A common device used to treat clenching and grinding is the NTI (Nociceptive Trigeminal Inhibition Tension Suppression System). The NIT was developed by a California dentist, James Boyd, DDS. Having suffered chronic, daily headaches and frequent migraine attacks for 12 years, Dr. Boyd developed the protocol to rid him of pain. The NIT-tss is indicated for migraine prevention. Its patented design keeps your canine and back teeth apart. This separation minimizes the intensity of your nighttime clenching.
The NTI is a small, clear nite guard that fits over the front teeth. It is comfortable, easy to wear, and won’t trigger gag reflexes
Even better is how easily they are made. We can make an NTI device for our patients in a matter of minutes while they sit right in the chair.
If you or a loved one suffers from bruxism, we can help!
Until next time,
Keep smiling, sharing, and caring!
