NTI-tss

9 November 2012

An Update on the NTI-tss Migraine Fighter (video)

It’s been a while since we’ve talked about the NTI Tension Suppression System, or NTI-tss device for migraine treatment. The device now comes in a variety of forms to better suit individual patients, and is available in more countries than ever. A new agreement for distribution was signed in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands this fall.

The video below actually gives a really good overview of how the device works, and how your dentist will customize it just for you.

When you watch the video, notice how the action of the jaw hits key muscles and nerves in the face. This is where migraine attacks may be triggered in some people.

You’ll need to find a dentist who is familiar with the NTI-tss. In the USA, check this page for a list of certified labs around the country.

Meanwhile, if you’re considering the NTI-tss device, you’ll find this video very helpful.

28 August 2009

Migraine: Does your face hurt?

James Discoveries & Stats 75

A small study published in June suggested that almost 9% of migraineurs have facial pain during an attack. Now this is of course another of those chicken-and-egg questions, because some of those patients likely have jaw issues that are triggering migraine attacks. But others simply have migraine attacks that cause the facial pain. Read about the study from Germany, Prevalence of facial pain in migraine: a population-based study.

In fact, in rare cases, there is something rare called isolated facial migraine, where the pain in the face is the main feature of the migraine.

Sometimes treatment for the jaw is needed, such as an NTI-tss device. In other cases, when the pain is coming from the migraine attack, simply treating migraine as a whole will solve the facial pain issue as well.

What about you? Do you have facial pain during an attack? What’s it like?

31 March 2009

More on the NTI-tss device (with video)

James Treatments 0

The NTI-tss device continues to be a valuable tool in the fight against migraine. It doesn’t involve any drugs – just a custom made device that you wear in your mouth through the night. For many people, the results have been very good.

Migraine attacks are often triggered by excessive clenching and/or grinding of your jaw at night. Not only can this increase migraine attacks, it also lowers quality of life by adding often daily dull headaches. The NTI-tss device is designed to help people in this category, as Dr. Andrew Blumenfeld explains in this video:

The information on migraine may be nothing new to you, but the video is a good reminder that often migraine patients have constant pain that is ignored because of the more obvious flashes of migraine pain.

How the NTI-tss device works

The idea behind the NTI-tss device is this. By keeping the teeth slightly apart, particularly the molar and canine teeth, the device makes it physically impossible for you to clench as intensely. The muscle activity (hyper-activity) is drastically reduced.

For many people, this eliminates a major migraine trigger, and also reduces or eliminates the daily, dull headache that they wake up with.

The research around the NTI-tss device has gone forward quite a bit since we last talked about it. Depending on your response to an initial fitting, or depending on your particular issues, you may be fitted with slightly different devices in different ways.

Talk to your dentist and find out if they are using the NTI-tss device, and if they have used it to treat migraine patients. If you’re in Canada, there’s a directory of dentists here.

Let me leave you with a video of someone being fitted with the device. It’s a very easy process (I’ve had it done myself).

10 May 2005

The NTI-tss device

James Treatments 7

For people with TMD (Temporomandibular Disorders), "splints" for the teeth have been a major treatment. But there’s much more available than just the basic splint. Basic bite, clenching and grinding problems can cause headaches and tension.

Splints don’t work for everyone, and there are many different types. In HeadWay issue 10 we talked about a cheap solution that works for some people. But others are still looking for solutions. One of the newer types is the NTI-tss device, which is approved in the USA for migraine prevention. It’s designed to not be "clench-friendly" – to help your jaw properly relax without clenching or grinding. The device can also be made for children with headache. Visit this site for more on how the NTI-tss device works. It’s now available in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, South Africa, Singapore, Norway, and many more countries.