NTI
TMJ Night Guards
Many chronic headaches and migraines are caused by involuntary night-time teeth clenching.
This leads to hyperactivity of the trigeminal nerve, which can trigger migraine and tension headaches.
Tension headaches are usually felt on the sides of your head as pain or pressure, as tightness around your forehead that may feel like a "vise grip", an aching pain at your temples or the back of your head and neck.
The NTI Suppression System is a small transparent plastic device, similar to a mouth guard, which is worn over the two front teeth at night to prevent contact of the canines and molars.
The NTI prevents:
Migraine pain
Tension-type headache pain
Jaw disorders (TMD)
Bruxism (teeth grinding)
Without drugs or surgery.
How the NTI Tension Suppression System Works
TMD, bruxism, chronic tension headaches, migraine...
Did you ever wonder what these symptoms—which all can make your life miserable—have in common?
They all are controlled and/or moderated by the Trigeminal Nerve.
An overused Trigeminal Nerve can cause hyperactivity that results in excessive jaw muscle contraction during certain stages of sleep. This causes intense jaw clenching and/or vigorous teeth grinding. The Trigeminal Nerve is also involved with chronic headaches, migraines or TMD.
The basic principle behind the NTI-tss
"NTI" refers to the nocturnal inhibition of the harmful sensory input to the Trigeminal Nerve. The NTI device is a dental mouthpiece that Dr. Crawford provides for the patient. The NTI fits securely on either the patient's upper or lower front teeth while asleep. The patient's unique bite dictates the design of the NTI device.
The NTI device inhibits the canine and molar teeth from touching anything during sleep. This reduces the pathological intensity of jaw clenching and teeth grinding and prevents any resultant TMD or headaches.
Difference between traditional night guards and NTI-tss
The traditional treatment for bruxism has been a night guard—a plastic appliance worn in the mouth similar to an athletic mouth protector. The night guard covers the teeth of one arch, which allows the patient to bite on plastic so there is no tooth-to-tooth contact while biting.
It is key that the molars and canines do not touch anything in order to sufficiently reduce jaw clenching. Both night guards will protect the teeth from wear but the NTI-tss will also prevent TMD and headache pain by preventing canine and molar contact.
