NTI Nightguards
For simplicity sake there are two main reasons people wear night guards: bruxism (teeth grinding) or clenching. Bruxism occurs primarily while sleeping. However, some people catch themselves clenching during everyday tasks such as driving, working or exercising. Bruxism may be a response to stress, worn teeth or teeth that are not in proper alignment (malocclusion).
The symptoms of bruxism are:
- Jaw pain, earaches and headaches
- Fractured or chipped teeth or fillings
- Damage to bone that surrounds teeth
- Damage to the jaw joint
- Tooth sensitivity as the enamel layer is worn down
One of the most effective ways to control grinding is by wearing a nightguard. There are many different types and styles of nightguards – an assessment of your grinding and clenching patterns can help determine the right guard for you.
Without treatment, the constant clenching and grinding of your teeth can cause widespread damage in your mouth. Dealing with the problem early can restore harmony and prevent many future problem.
NTI Nightguards
It works by preventing contact between the molars and canine teeth. Without this contact, your jaw cannot clench intensely and your muscles will not become fatigued. The NTI is a small acrylic appliance that's customized to fit your bite precisely. It's about the size of the top third of your thumb and it's worn securely over your upper front teeth while you sleep or at other times when you find yourself clenching.
To see how the NTI appliance suppresses jaw clenching, place a pencil between your molars and bite down firmly. Then, place your fingers just above and to the side of one of your eyes. That's your temporal muscle bulging out in intense contraction. Finally, move the pencil so it's between your front teeth and bite down again. You'll notice that your temporal muscle is contracting much less vigorously. The NTI appliance is worn between your front teeth to reduce the fatigue in your temporal muscle.
In just one appointment we can create your NTI appliance. First we try it in and precisely customize its fit by lining it with a plastic material. Once the customized portion has hardened, we carefully make any final adjustments and polish it. For more information about the NTI appliance, check out www.nti-tss.com .
