What Is A Night Guard?
A night guard is a custom fabricated piece of acrylic that is designed to go over your front teeth. This mouth guard used to treat Bruxim, and
protects against things like:
- Your teeth from hitting each other and grinding into each other. sleeping conditions such as sleep apnea.
Often, when a person unconsciously grinds their teeth during sleep,
What Is An NTI Occlusal Mouth Guard?
Its real name is actually: NTI – TSS Occlusal Mouth Guard
NTI – TSS stands for :
- Nociceptive Trigeminal Inhibition – Tension Suppression System
An NTI Occlusal Mouth Guard is a medical mouth guard.
For the treatment of:
- Migraine pain caused by tension headaches from anxiety and strenuous activities.
- Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD)
- Muscle pain due to parafunctional activity
NTI – TSS Mouth guards help to:
- Reduce Joint Strain and Disc Load
- Decreases Muscle Tension – which leads to fewer migraines and morning headaches.
- Reduces clenching intensity by up to 70 percent.
Indicators Include:
- Migraines and Tension Headaches.
- Tooth wear due to Bruxing and Clenching.
- Muscle Pain associated with Muscle Parafunction.
Migraine Headaches: Can affect many things and be extremely painful. Being able to lessen the symptoms of such an intense pain with a simple apparatus can make all the difference in someone’s life.
Bruxing and clenching: Happen on a subconscious level, whether asleep or awake. Anxiety is sometimes the cause and can be difficult to treat outright, but by managing the symptoms you can alleviate some of the burden associated with it.
Tooth wear can have serious consequences and can lead to things like:
- Cavities
- Tooth decay
- Abcess teeth.
- Chipped teeth
- Broken Teeth
- Tooth Removal
Muscle Parafunction or para-function: Is an industry term that most Dentists, Orthodontists, or maxilofacial specialists use when describing the way a muscle is used in a way that it was not originally meant to be used and in a repetitive fashion.
What Is An NTI – TSS Night Guard
The NTI -TSS Night Guard : is a small occlusal splint that goes over your central incisors or your front teeth while you sleep. Made out of resin and acrylic, the NTI night guard device, takes advantage of a naturally occuring reflex that is triggered whenever biting down onto something that is too hard or difficult to chew. Relaxing your jaw and preventing you from breaking teeth.
The Benefits Of The NTI Night Guard
Behavior Modification Therapy?
Some dentists and orthodontists believe that the device is not unlike a behavioral modification treatment. Essentially reprogramming your body to stop gnashing and grinding your teeth over time until the device is no longer needed.
A potential Cure For Bruxim
By constantly interrupting the tendency to clench and bite the user has, overtime could help break the habit. Until eventually the user willnot need to use the device. Potentially becoming a cure for Bruxism.
How Does The NTI Night Guard Work Differently Than Other Night Guards?
Traditional night guards: cover all of your teeth while the NTI covers your front teeth and just reaches your incisors. Smaller makes it more comfortable for use during sleep.
When you bite down on something that is too hard for you to chew, your teeth could possibly chip or break.
That’s where the Nonciceptive Trigeminal Inhibition ( NTI) – Tension Supression Symptom (TSS) comes in. It’s a natural reflex that protects your front teeth.
When you bite down on whatever it is that’s too hard for you to chew, the NTI reflex automatically stops you from continuing the action as a defensive measure.
The NTI – TSS device uses that reflex to it’s advantage.
While wearing the small splint, you will be prevented from biting down all the way on something tha tmay be too hard for your teeth to handle that could possibly harm them.
Your jaw will automatically relax, stopping any biting or even the gnashing together of your teeth together that you might be doing.
The Drawbacks From Using The NTI Night Guard
It’s important to note that the NTI might come with some unpleasent side effects.
You Could Experience:
- A Change In Your Bite
Wearing the NTI Night Guard splint could potentially encourage Your teeth to shift, thus changing your bite. furthermore users have reported experiencing Temperomandibular Joint Pain or (TMJ) after using the device.
- Only patients with healthy teeth are eligible to receive one
Because of the inflated price for this particular splint, only patients who have healthy teeth are able to qualify to receive an NTI Night Guard. Sosome of the people who may need it the most, the ones in danger of harming themselves further are not able to qualify for what could be a possible cure for Bruxim.
- Comfort Can Be An Issue
Like any other device for your mouth like dentures, braces, and regular mouth guards, they are not always easy to get used to and some mouth shapes make ease of wear difficult at best. Some rubbing and abrasions are common with any mouth piece that is not a tight fit. If your mouthpiece is loose in any way then rubbing will occur, so it’s important to be fitted properly by a dental professional for any device that goes inside your mouth.
Does My Child Need A Night Guard?
If your child is experiencing the symptoms of Bruxism than your child may need to wear a night guard to protect their developing teeth and to prevent injury and tooth wear.
Are Night Guards Bad For You?
There are simple ways to check if your night guard is safe or not:
- A night guard should never be loose. Loose fitting night guards can rub and potentially become a choking hazard in your childs sleep. So a snug fit is safer.
- Your Night Guard should feel comfortable and natural – Never bulky or like it gags. If it does then do not use it.
Night guards are incredibly effective for those suffering from Bruxism, however, Bruxism is a common sign of sleep apnea. So before you’re treated for Bruxism, find out from a sleep doctor if you have sleep apnea and not just Bruxism. Why? Because Bruxism is an unconscious safety measure to bring your jaw forward and open up an airway while asleep. So if you also have a condition known as sleep apnea, or suspect that you might be afflicted with the condition, then it’s important to see a sleep specialist before wearing any night time mouth guard for treating Bruxism before you know you will be able to breath without it.
Is It Safe For My Child To Wear A Night Guard?
If the risk of damage to your child’s teeth from Buxism is a higher risk then your child’s teeth growing in crooked, then braces can be an option for when your child’s permanent teeth grow in.
Is it more important to you that your child’s teeth grow in straight or that they remain healthy and pain free?
Safety for your child always comes first so there are things you can do to make sure your child’s night guard is a safe for them to wear at night
- Their night guard should fit their mouths snugly and not be loose. Loose night guards can be a chocking hazard.
- Children’s night guards should feel natural and not bulky when worn. Never like it chokes or gags. If it feels uncomfortable to your child, then they may need a different fit or a new night guard.
- Always clean night guards properly and thoroughly so bacteria and germs do not make your child sick.
