Do you suffer from…..

Migraine, chronic headaches, aching and tender muscles, sore jaw joints, regular morning headaches, teeth grinding … all of these symptoms can have one common source: a hyper-activity of the jaw muscles.

External signs are teeth grinding or clenching, which generally occur during sleep, when they are not consciously controllable. Some patients may also grind or clench their teeth during the day, e.g. in periods of increased stress or concentration.

Recent studies show that traditional methods of treatment such as nightguard devices and flat plane splints can actually increase the intensity of your clenching reflex over the maximum force you can exert without the device. As a result your symptoms can even worsen.

Can the simple grinding and clenching of my teeth have such severe consequences?

Yes!
Grinding and clenching of your teeth involves some of the most powerful muscles in the human body. While almost everybody grinds and or clenches their teeth every now and then, studies show that patients who do so chronically exert between 6 and 20 times more pressure due to their well trained musculature. With repeated intense contraction, these powerful muscles become painful, and the forces generated cause pain to the surrounding tissues, joints, and other muscles.

By reducing or eliminating the intensity of the clenching, you are effectively minimising the source of pain, and in many cases this will happen in just a few days.

At the Old Surgery, we have introduced a range of ‘mini splints’ that go far beyond the traditional (and often insufficient) treatment methods that will only manage the symptoms rather than preventing the source of the problem: the hyper-activity of the jaw muscles.

SCI and NTI-tss are a range of small splints that fit over your front teeth. Both work in similar ways to prevent tooth grinding and clenching. In preventing this unwanted muscle clenching we can eliminate the tension that causes headaches, neck pain and migraines. Significant improvements sometimes only take as little as a few days.

What are the differences between the two splints?

NTI-tss can be fitted by your dentist in one visit, giving immediate relief for acute pain. SCI splints require 2 visits. Records are taken of your teeth and sent to the S4S laboratory to tailor make a splint that you have fitted at your second visit.

Can the NTI-tss device really improve quality of life?

By reducing the intensity of involuntary clenching while you are asleep (and sometimes even during the day, when stress or high concentration triggers unconscious involuntary clenching), the NTI-tss device minimises clenching intensity and thus, in time, the (or one of the) primary sources of pain.

Now imagine the changes in your life and the activities you will be able to enjoy after successful reduction or even elimination of your pain.

Further information can be obtained from www.headacheprevention.com

Fees

Existing patients of the practice - for whom we already have a detailed history, radiographs etc. available to us.
Fee for NTi: £86

Not a patient at this practice – a longer appointment is necessary for history taking, examination of the musculature, assessment of the teeth, radiographs if appropriate, prior to fabrication of NTi if diagnosis dictates.
Fee for assessment and NTi: £135

Terms & Conditions
1. Electric toothbrush will consist of an Oral B Professional Care 1000 or suitable substitute where applicable.
2. Competition winners will be picked at the final day of each month and informed accordingly.
3. Winners will be selected at random and one person will not be eligible to win multiple times, should the same person be randomly picked, a redraw will take place until a new winner is chosen.