Introduction
Why Grinding Your Teeth Can Cause Migraines
Much focus in dentistry has been given to teeth grinding, better known as bruxism.
Bruxism can be classified as awake or sleep bruxism. Awake bruxism involves tooth clenching or tapping and jaw bracing, with or without tooth contact. Grinding is rarely noted during waking hours. Sleep bruxism involves tooth grinding with rhythmic, sustained, or mixed jaw muscle contractions. The overall prevalance of awake clenching is about 20% in the adult population with more women reporting clenching awareness than men. It has been estimated that 8% of adults in the general population are aware of teeth grinding during sleep, usually reported by their sleep partners or roommates. According to parental reports, the incident of teeth grinding noises during sleep in children younger than 11 years of age is between 14-20%. Dental signs of bruxism can be seen in approximately 10-20% of children. In a 24-hour period it is estimated that tooth contact occurs for 17.5 minutes. During a 7-8 hour sleep cycle, bruxism-related muscle activity occurs for approximately 8 minutes and does not always occur with tooth contact. Grinding noises however, only occur in approximately 44% of sleep bruxism. Patients with bruxism are 3-4 times more likely to experience jaw pain and limitation of movement than people who do not experience sleep bruxism.The greatest maximum voluntary clenching force has been measured to be 975 pounds per square inch so it is of little wonder that we witness tooth destruction due to bruxism. Many sleep bruxism patients complain of morning jaw stiffness, and a worsening of symptoms as the day progresses. Up 65% of sleep bruxism patients report frequent headaches. Symptoms of bruxism include nonspecific jaw pain, masseter muscle stiffness, neck pain, back pain, episode and daily headaches and migraines. An oral appliance (guard), covering a full or patial dental arch (anterior or posterior), has been the traditional option for patients who are frequent and severe grinders or clenchers. Full arch coverage appliances are designed to spread the load across the teeth more evenly and require more bulk in the posterior area to prevent fracturing of the material during clenching or grinding with molar teeth. The Nociceptive Trigeminal Inhibition Tension Suppression System, or NTI-tss, is a partial anterior appliance created by James P. Boyd, DDS, that specifically treats and prevents medically diagnosed migraine pain, tension-type headaches and temporomandibular
joint (TMJ) disorders. For the majority of cases, the NTI-tss is designed to be worn only at night and can provide patients with significant relief. The NTI-tss, is as surprisingly simple as it is effective: 82% of migraine and headache sufferers who use the device experience an average 77% reduction of migraine pain attacks within two months. The device is easily fit at the dentist’s office, involves no surgery, and has no risk of side effects compared to pharmaceutical migraine treatments. Hoye Dental is now offering the NTI-tss. If you or someone you know is suffering from tension or migraine headaches and are interested in trying the NTI-tss, the first step is to set up a consultation appointment. At this appointment we will check for any telltale signs of tooth clenching and get a better idea if this therapy could help. The total cost of NTI-tss therapy more than likely offsets the cost of medication or missed days at work. If you are interested in learning more about how the NTI-tss can help you, please call us today. Information from "Occlusion, Function and Parafunction: Understanding the Dynamics of a Healthy Stomataznathic System," by Stephen D. Bender, DDS. To learn more about the NTI-tss, please click here.
Straighten Teeth With ClearCorrect Invisible Aligners
ClearCorrect is the clear and simple alternative to braces. No wires. No brackets. No reason not to smile. Just a series of clear, custom, removable aligners that gradually straighten your teeth as you wear them, each aligner moving your teeth just a little bit at a time. ClearCorrect is practically invisible. It's comfortable — no cuts or scrapes like with braces. It's removable — eat what you want, then brush and floss. It's affordable — comparable to braces, even less than other treatment options. ClearCorrect has the advantages of braces without the limitations of other aligner systems. It's clear and easy to keep clean, with better control for your dentist and better results for you. To learn more about ClearCorrect, please click here.
New Patient Referral Program
Smile! It's our way to thank you for your referrals. We value our patients and work hard to provide a warm and inviting environment that makes you feel comfortable. That is why we want to show you our appreciation for referring new patients to Hoye Dental. Tell your family, friends and coworkers about Hoye Dental, and if they become new patients, you and your referred patient(s) will each be eligible to receive free upper and lower bleaching trays, and 1 tube of bleach (a $300 value). For a limited time only, all new patients are eligible for the bleaching tray offer. . Call us today! To learn more about our patient referral program, please click here.
