Anyone who has experienced frequent migraine pain or has chronic headaches can tell you how disrupting they can be to normal daily routines. More than 36 million Americans suffer with such pain, thinking there is little which can be done. Those who live with TemporoMandibular Joint problems, more commonly referred to as TMJ, often believe there's little relief available. However, Macon Smiles can offer valuable solutions with our trained professionals (physicians or dentists).
TMJ may include these or other signs and symptoms:
• Pain or tenderness in the jaw
• Pain in one or both temporomandibular joints
• Aching pain in and/or around the ear
• Facial pain
• Difficulty chewing or pain while chewing
• Locking of the joint, making opening or closing the mouth difficult
Generally patients may describe their pain as a "dull ache," "throbbing" or "pounding" sensation. But symptoms may also include dizziness or even vision problems. While it's important to remember that occasional discomfort is not always cause for alarm, those who experience severe pain, or aches that last for more than a few weeks, should bring it to the attention of their healthcare provider.
Patients with pain in and around the head, including jaws, neck, ears and surrounding facial tissues often resort to traditional methods of treatment such as mouthpieces, night guards, splints or medication. For many, these treatments can offer some measure of assistance, as can other simple actions such as applying ice or moist heat. For others, long-term symptoms may worsen, even to the point of persistent, debilitating pain. But with the assistance of a health professional, all of a patient's options can be explored for maximum relief. One of the main therapeutic goals for providing such relief is to limit the amount of noxious sensory input (or "triggers") and reduce hypersensitivity in the Trigeminal system.
An FDA-approved device which has proven to significantly reduce headache pain and migraine-related episodes, as well as TMJ issues, is a neuromuscular suppression device known as the NTI Tension Suppression System (NTI-tss). It is remarkably simple, safe, and effective. During clinical trials, this tiny dental device worn while sleeping by 82 percent of patients studied had a 77 percent average reduction of migraine pain within the first 8 weeks of use. Nausea episodes were reduced by 78 percent, light-sensitive episodes were reduced by 66 percent, and sound-sensitive episodes were reduced by 68 percent.
The NTI-tss is non-pharmaceutical (no drugs), so there are no medicinal side effects. It reduces the frequency of headaches and the intensity of those that do occur, preventing them from progressing to become a migraine. Clenching intensity is often reduced by 66 percent.
A dentist can fabricate and deliver the NTI-tss device in a single visit. You can learn more at www.headacheprevention.com or book an appointment with us!