21st Century Dental is proud to offer the latest advancement in
dentistry for the prevention and cure of headaches through the use of the
NTI-TSS appliance. The explanation below will help you better understand
how the appliance works.
Dear Dr. Smith, Dr. Roy and Staff,
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. ~Joann
T.
Chronic symptoms of the head and neck can often be
attributed to:
A) Headache and the temporalis muscle (which closes
the jaw)
B) Sinus pressure and pain and the lateral
pterygoid muscle (which moves the jaw laterally)
C) Neck
stiffness and pain and the trapezius (which stabilizes the skull during
jaw closure)
Contraction of the lateral pterygoid (A, above)
simply moves the jaw sideways (or if both contract, front wards). If the
temporalis (B, 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.
As temporalis contraction intensity increases, the lateral
pterygoids must work harder, creating symptoms where the muscle is
attached (the TM joint and sinuses), and obligating the trapezius to
maintain a tightened posture (stiff and sore neck).
When there is temporalis contraction exclusively (no lateral
activity), 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 (above).
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 (above, left). The
same splint also provides an ideal
clenching surface. The
temporalis can be felt contracting (it will bulge slightly) when clenching
with or without a splint.
An object placed in the mouth on the front teeth (as a
pencil), reduces the temporalis' contraction intensity by at least
66%. An "Anterior Midline Point Stop" (AMPS) with specific
modifications can prevent the temporalis contaction intensity, thereby
treating and preventing: chronic headache, TMJ problems, sinuses
signs and symptoms, and stiff and sore neck.
The N.T.I. Tension Suppression System is a prefabricated
poly carbonate matrix that a dental practitioner retro-fits to the
patient's teeth (not exclusive to the upper teeth, above is just one
example).
