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Medical Forum / General / Dentistry / April 2007NTI
where do I buy a NTI? NTI is used only on two front teeth. Will this give too much pressure on them since normally all teeth share the biting force? Not knowing where you are, I would suggest you visit www.headacheprevention.com and in the upper right hand of the menu is a link to the "Find-a-Dentist" database. Click that link, enter your zipcode (minimum first 3 #'s) and you will dentists who provide the NTI in your area. This list is not all inclusive and only reflects those providers who have chosen to be listed in the database. > where do I buy a NTI? > NTI is used only on two front teeth. Will this give too much pressure > on them since normally all teeth share the biting force? > where do I buy a NTI? > NTI is used only on two front teeth. Will this give too much pressure > on them since normally all teeth share the biting force? It's not supposed to. With that said, I have been wearing an NTI nightly for the past 2 weeks on the upper teeth and while those feel okay, my lower incisors feel sore in the morning. >>where do I buy a NTI? >>NTI is used only on two front teeth. Will this give too much pressure [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > nightly for the past 2 weeks on the upper teeth and while those feel > okay, my lower incisors feel sore in the morning. And you still have the stock appliance that has not been adjusted for the vertical opening.....right? Steve > And you still have the stock appliance that has not been adjusted > for the vertical opening.....right? Right. I have talked to another dentist who glanced at the stock NTI and said it looks okay. I have another appointment tomorrow and will specifically ask about adjusting the vertical opening. Of course I don't know if that dentist has watched his DVDs... Of course I > don't know if that dentist has watched his DVDs... It is a pretty simple appliance, yet too many dentist do not read instructions, believing that they already know enough to make this work. If you have 2-3 mm of height on the discluding element, it may very well be way too tall! The original 'standard' device was meant to be a starting point, not a final design that just needed to be fitted to the teeth. The newer 'reduced vertical' version is more tuned to the novice who doesn't want to do any trimming. Steve >It is a pretty simple appliance, yet too many dentist do not >read instructions, believing that they already know enough >to make this work. > >If you have 2-3 mm of height on the discluding element, it >may very well be way too tall! How is this measured? Here are the dimensions on ny 2 year old NTI as close as I can measure: The device fits over my lower 4 front teeth. It "snaps" into place. I cannot flick it off with my tongue. Overall (outside dimensions) it is: 30mm wide (left to right), 16mm tall (top to bottom), and 19mm deep (front to back). On the top (where my top front teeth touch), there is a curved part (the 30mm dimension) and a perpendicular piece (the 19mm part) that protrudes about 3mm forward from the front edge of the curved part. Measuring the separation is causes between my front teeth is harder. If I poke a wire into the deepest part of the place where my front go as a depth guage, I get about 12mm. The total height of the device is about 16mm, so the separation should be about 4mm. Is this the "discluding element" you are talking about? If so, mine is more than 2-3 mm. My dentist spent a lot of time adjusting it and I came back twice to get it refitted and fine tuned, so I don't think she short-changed the fitting process. I also tried to measure the actual separation of my teeth. With the NTI in place, the gap between the next closest frotn teeth is about 4mm. With the NTI removed, and my front teeth just touching, those same teeth are also just touching. This agrees with the 4mm measurement I got from my depth guage. So, is my NTI too tall? A few minutes ago, I posted a question about a catch/click in my left TMJ. Could a too-tall NTI contribute to that? >The original 'standard' device >was meant to be a starting point, not a final design that [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Steve -- I *usually* trim the discluding element (bar that separates the teeth) to minimize opening. Without seeing your teeth, I don't know if yours is too tall or not. It is no big deal to shorten it a couple of mm and then see how the symptoms respond. If things get better, great. If they get worse, open things back up again. (at the dental office of course) Steve > I also tried to measure the actual separation of my teeth. With the > NTI in place, the gap between the next closest frotn teeth is about [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > So, is my NTI too tall? >>The original 'standard' device >>was meant to be a starting point, not a final design that [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >> >>Steve The DE should be just high enough that no back teeth touch with the NTI in place. Your back molars should just barely miss touching. Is there a notch worn into the DE?  Signature/ Amatus / > >>It is a pretty simple appliance, yet too many dentist do not [quoted text clipped - 54 lines] > > -- >The DE should be just high enough that no back teeth touch with the NTI in >place. Your back molars should just barely miss touching. Getting accurate measurements of one's own mouth are tricky. These numbers could be off by as much as 50%. I need a set of inside calipers and an extra set of hands. With the NTI in place and my front teeth touching, it's difficult for me to see the separation at the very back. It looks like it's about 1-2 mm. Moving toward the front, the separation increases to about 3-4 mm between the teeth just next to the NTI (6-27 & 11-22). This seems reasonable because the joint is at the back. The NTI covers 23-26. With the NTI out and my teeth closed, I see that I have an overbite that is about 3 mm for 8 & 9. About 1-2 mm for the next 2-3 teeth (4-6 & 11-13) and then close to 0 mm farther back. I think the NTI is as small (thin?) as it can be. The thickness of the base looks to be 1-2mm and the DE is less than .5 mm on top of that. >Is there a notch worn into the DE? No notch. Very smooth. I emailed the NTI dentist, who asked that same question. She said I could come in if I want, but she doubts it's related to the NTI. I have a regular checkup with my primary dentist next week. -- The actual measurements do not matter. You need some clearance (and as little clearance as possible) in the back. If your opposing cuspids can touch the plastic, it will cause problems. Signature/ Amatus / > >>The DE should be just high enough that no back teeth touch with the NTI in [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > -- >The actual measurements do not matter. You need some clearance (and as >little clearance as possible) in the back. If your opposing cuspids can >touch the plastic, it will cause problems. Therein lies the key. If the lower cuspids can touch anything it triggers the clenching/bruxing response. Ran across this last month, a little relieving of the cuspids and violá. Took me about 4 visits to get this one just right. >>The actual measurements do not matter. You need some clearance (and as >>little clearance as possible) in the back. If your opposing cuspids can [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >If the lower cuspids can touch anything it triggers >the clenching/bruxing response. But if there was significant bruxing, the NTI would show wear, no? -- Light force with back and forth motion create wear. Heavy clenching forces do not wear surfaces down. This leads to fractures. Think about sandpaper on a wooden furniture piece. Light force on the sandpaper with movement eventually begins to reduce the surface of the wood. Heavy force on the sandpaper, and it can not move back and forth, and either the paper rips or the wood tears. Signature/ Amatus / > >>>The actual measurements do not matter. You need some clearance (and as [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > -- >>>The actual measurements do not matter. You need some clearance (and as >>>little clearance as possible) in the back. If your opposing cuspids can [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >But if there was significant bruxing, the NTI would show wear, no? Not necessarily, Lexan is pretty tough stuff. Though have had a couple of patients chew through an NTI. If the cuspid touches the patient clenches in a lateral bracing position. (got that one from Amatus) > >>>The actual measurements do not matter. You need some clearance (and as > >>>little clearance as possible) in the back. If your opposing cuspids can [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > If the cuspid touches the patient clenches in a lateral bracing position. > (got that one from Amatus) The move toward making the NTI fitted to the bottom teeth makes good sense in cases where patients "get around the DE" during sleep. W. >> >But if there was significant bruxing, the NTI would show wear, no? >> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >W. Adjusting the lower cuspid is equally effective and quicker IMO. I'm not so sure, I now make most of mine on the lower. Patients that have had both usually like the mand. model better. Not a big deal, but something you might want to try. Best wishes, D >>The move toward making the NTI fitted to the bottom teeth makes good >>sense in cases where patients "get around the DE" during sleep. >> >>W. > > Adjusting the lower cuspid is equally effective and quicker IMO. OK am willing to try a few, I need a new one so... Any tips or tricks ? How to you keep the vertical opening minimal ? My vertical is ~2-3mm >I'm not so sure, I now make most of mine on the lower. > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >> >> Adjusting the lower cuspid is equally effective and quicker IMO. The challenge of making them on the lower is in cases where the centrals and laterals are hugely different in length. Otherwise, the same thing. Since the upper arch is wider than the lower, it is harder to hit the DE with an upper cuspid. Signature/ Amatus / > > OK am willing to try a few, I need a new one so... [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] >>> >>> Adjusting the lower cuspid is equally effective and quicker IMO. Thanks AC >The challenge of making them on the lower is in cases where the centrals and >laterals are hugely different in length. Otherwise, the same thing. Since [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] >>>> >>>> Adjusting the lower cuspid is equally effective and quicker IMO. > OK am willing to try a few, I need a new one so... > > Any tips or tricks ? > > How to you keep the vertical opening minimal ? > My vertical is ~2-3mm OK, I use the lower when normal overjet and overbite exists. If someone is a class II or deep overbite, I do the upper and cut back a ledge on the DE to reduce the opening. Class IIIs are treated like a normal bite. I also usually use the reduced vertical appliance for most cases. I shorten the lingual of the DE, polish it a little, and I'm done. Someone who has a collapsed bite, gets a standard device with the vertical adjusted to compensate for their loss. "Ragged" uppers and "even" lowers get an upper NTI and vice versa. Ragged upper and lower get an upper with a lower slide bar if the vertical will accept it. JME, Steve >> OK am willing to try a few, I need a new one so... >> [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] >JME, >Steve Thanks TJ >>> OK am willing to try a few, I need a new one so... >>> [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > Thanks TJ Dr. Boyd has recently added substantial chairside fabrication details at http://www.nti-tss.com/Fab-and-Del.html as well as these clinical insights at http://www.nti-tss.com/CLINICALS-INSIGHTS.html which includes errors http://www.nti-tss.com/CLINICALS-ERRORS.html and fixes http://www.nti-tss.com/CLINICALS-FIXES.html Hope this helps. MY NTIS does fit on bottom teeth On Mar 8, 5:53 pm, "grube...@gmail.com" <grube...@gmail.com> wrote: > > where do I buy a NTI? > > NTI is used only on two front teeth. Will this give too much pressure [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > nightly for the past 2 weeks on the upper teeth and while those feel > okay, my lower incisors feel sore in the morning. Have you gone back to the guy who made it and asked for an adjustment of some kind? It's my understanding that it might need some tweaking. And didn't I read on here somewhere that it does take a while to adjust to it being in your mouth? I thought we were to expect a little soreness at first as the device does its work. I'm not sure. I'll be looking for updates from you to see how you do with it as time goes on. I'm going in on the 21st to have one made. I will remember your warning about the whole impression scariness! Good luck! Don't give up! Eva There are no impressions. Two minutes (and only TWO MINUTES) with SNAP acrylic before it is removed. Generally (I can't say 'never') there is no soreness with anything. Usually I make them on the lower teeth and use the 'reduced vertical' device. The original standard device has much more opening than is *usually* needed. You can make one with these, but you better go to the lab and do some serious trimming. However I keep a few around for the 'closed bite' cases that I will run into on occasion. Maybe 20% if the time I make one on the upper. It all depends on the arrangement of the teeth and how they fit together. Sometimes I need to make a 'slide bar' to go with an upper device. I've been making them for 7 years and it gets easier with experience. If someone is new to the technique and has never even been to a course, who knows what they will stick in your mouth and call it an NTI. The company sends instructions and a DVD with all orders, but you don't know if the dentist ever watches or reads them. JMO, Steve I > will remember your warning about the whole impression scariness! Good > luck! Don't give up! > > Eva > There are no impressions. Two minutes (and only TWO MINUTES) with SNAP > acrylic before it is removed. [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > JMO, > Steve IIRC, the guy who is having soreness also had a scary time in the doctor's office with a slightly slipshod impression that had to be pried off of his teeth. This is a good thing for anybody to be forewarned about. When I go in to have my NTI made, I'll be asking plenty of questions about this 2-minute impression and will be making sure they don't leave it a second past that 2 minutes since I don't know how long the guy I'm going to has been doing it and what his skill level is. I can identify with this problem. When I had my first nightguard made, the gal doing the impression of my bottom teeth struggled and fought to get it out. She yanked my head back and forth. There I was with this huge thing in my mouth, and I was starting to panic because her eyes were getting bigger and bigger -- she looked scared because she couldn't get it off of me. It was a very unpleasant experience. Steve, do I have the wrong impression (pardon the pun) about the NTI possibly causing a little soreness when a person first starts using it? Should I expect to find that it starts to work right away? Do your patients report difficulties the first few nights of wearing this device? Thanks, Eva Most of the time it is like shooting fish in a barrel. Piece of cake. No big deal. Easy as pie, and all of the other cliche's you can think of. Jaw pain usually goes away first. Then headaches. Then 'sinus' and finally sensitive teeth. (all depends upon what and how many symptoms you started with). I recommend wearing the device for a few hours before going to bed the first night or two so you get used to it being there before you plop down in bed and expect to go to sleep. Once you are a believer, you won't go to sleep without it! Nine out of ten report no complications. JME, Steve > Steve, do I have the wrong impression (pardon the pun) about the NTI > possibly causing a little soreness when a person first starts using [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Thanks, Eva > Most of the time it is like shooting fish in a barrel. Piece of cake. > No big deal. Easy as pie, and all of the other cliche's you can [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > JME, > Steve Well, I guess I'll find out next week -- Wednesday. I sure hope it works for me. I will remember the tip about wearing it a while before trying to sleep with it. I have trouble sleeping as it is. Fingers crossed! Eva >Steve, do I have the wrong impression (pardon the pun) about the NTI >possibly causing a little soreness when a person first starts using >it? When I first got mine (2 years ago), the teeth inside the NTI were "tender" (not really sore) the next morning. I went back in and the dentist said that it might have been a little too tight. That's what it felt like. After the adjustment, it was better, but the tenderness continued for several months. I still notice a feeling if "release" in trhe morning when I take it out. It's like something has been "squeezing" the teeth all night and they are "tired". It goes away in 5-10 minutes. -- >>Steve, do I have the wrong impression (pardon the pun) about the NTI >>possibly causing a little soreness when a person first starts using [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > when I take it out. It's like something has been "squeezing" the teeth > all night and they are "tired". It goes away in 5-10 minutes. I can't remember of patients coming back with this type of problem. Steve Fawks I have had 3-4 people with this complaint. A little internal relief fixed it quickly. Signature/ Amatus / > >>>Steve, do I have the wrong impression (pardon the pun) about the NTI [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Steve Fawks >I have had 3-4 people with this complaint. A little internal relief fixed >it quickly. That's what my dentist said. It was a little too tight. She said she errs on the side of too tight, because erring on the other direction could be fatal (aspirating the little sucker). It seems to me that a slightly different design for the base would work better -- a compromise between the old horseshoe and the NTI. As I understand it, (a) the back teeth need to be completely clear so they don't get any chewing impulse and (b) the separation needs to be as small as possible. If the base covered all teeth, like the horseshoes, then the DE would need to be higher so the back teeth would not touch the base. But, at least in my mouth, there seems to be plenty of room for the base to extend over at least 2 more teeth on each side. If it covered even just 21-28, it would be too big to swallow easily and no aspiration danger. No? -- The more teeth you cover, the more likely you will have an opposing tooth touch the plastic. Signature/ Amatus / > >>I have had 3-4 people with this complaint. A little internal relief fixed [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > -- > After the adjustment, it was better, but the tenderness continued for > several months. I still notice a feeling if "release" in trhe morning > when I take it out. It's like something has been "squeezing" the teeth > all night and they are "tired". It goes away in 5-10 minutes. I was told that there can be a problem if shavings are left inside the NTI, but rinsing it a couple of times should take care of it. Another issue I ran into is that the surface where the discluding element is located was too small causing me to push the device at strange angles during the night- the teeth felt sore the next morning. My dentist put some black sharpie on the NTI surface and after a few days could see where things were off. Long story short, however, after 3 adjustments I have given up on the thing and bought a DIY soft nightguard at the drug store- jaw & teeth are feeling good again :) - Marco >Long story short, however, after 3 adjustments I have given up on the >thing and bought a DIY soft nightguard at the drug store- jaw & teeth >are feeling good again :) > >- Marco Bad move. > >Long story short, however, after 3 adjustments I have given up on the > >thing and bought a DIY soft nightguard at the drug store- jaw & teeth [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Bad move. After 1 month of pain with the NTIs I would consider it a good move.. >> >Long story short, however, after 3 adjustments I have given up on the >> >thing and bought a DIY soft nightguard at the drug store- jaw & teeth [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >After 1 month of pain with the NTIs I would consider it a good move.. Soft "bite guards" do not work period. They make the problem worse. Your NTI should be adjusted. This is not as simple as it may seem. The doc should have some experience in dealing with NTI's. If you still had pain the device is not adjusted correctly. >> After the adjustment, it was better, but the tenderness continued for >> several months. I still notice a feeling if "release" in trhe morning [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >some black sharpie on the NTI surface and after a few days could see >where things were off. I've had this thing for 2 years. It gets washed every morning with my eletric toothbrush. I dount there shavings. >Long story short, however, after 3 adjustments I have given up on the >thing and bought a DIY soft nightguard at the drug store- jaw & teeth >are feeling good again :) I hope you are rignt, but "feeling" good may not be enough. I had a plastic night guard for 20 years before and I still fractures 2 teeth. Would you like a powerbite contest? My point is that you could still be bruxing. Some say the "full contact" guards actually make it worse. -- > I hope you are rignt, but "feeling" good may not be enough. I had a > plastic night guard for 20 years before and I still fractures 2 teeth. > Would you like a powerbite contest? > My point is that you could still be bruxing. Some say the "full > contact" guards actually make it worse. Was that a hard splint or soft guard ? My last one was quite worn down after 5 years, so 20 years sounds like a very long time. I get the basic idea behind the NTI, but again, my experience was that tooth and jaw soreness increased, making me wonder whether the muscle activity was reduced at all. >> I hope you are rignt, but "feeling" good may not be enough. I had a >> plastic night guard for 20 years before and I still fractures 2 teeth. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Was that a hard splint or soft guard ? It was a horseshoe-shaped plastic guard. I would say it was about the same hardness as tupperware. It gave a little, but not much. >My last one was quite worn down >after 5 years, so 20 years sounds like a very long time. It depends on whether you are a clencher or a grinder (or both). Apparently, I am a clencher. Very little grinding wear, but tremendous vertical pressures. This seems right to me. I never grind my teeth during the day, but I sometimes catch myself clenching my jaw. I was told that clenchers tend not wear out the plastic guards as quickly as grinders. I suspect that mine was a particularly good fit (the dentist fitted it carefully) so that the forces were as evenly distributed as possible. If there's little movement, there should be little wear. >I get the >basic idea behind the NTI, but again, my experience was that tooth and >jaw soreness increased, making me wonder whether the muscle activity >was reduced at all. I don't know either. I don't even know for me. The dentist that installed the NTI measured my lateral jaw movement before and some time after the NTI. She said in increased a lot (I can't recall the numbers). I'm only making one point to you. You said you feel better. I also felt better with the horseshoe guard, but I was still clenching and breaking teeth. Simply feeling better may not mean much. -- > Was that a hard splint or soft guard ? My last one was quite worn down > after 5 years, so 20 years sounds like a very long time. I get the > basic idea behind the NTI, but again, my experience was that tooth and > jaw soreness increased, making me wonder whether the muscle activity > was reduced at all. I would speculate that yours was constructed incorrectly for your case. Full arch 'splints' (hard or soft) do nothing to reduce clenching. They will offer some protection for the teeth. Almost every time that I 'convert' a full arch splint wearer to an NTI, the immediate reaction is, "Wow! That feels a lot better" D > I would speculate that yours was constructed incorrectly for your > case. All of them? I have gone through three- one upper and two lower. The last one (adjusted by Dr Boyd) was the least uncomfortable, but jaw pain was still slightly worse than wearing a full arch. > Full arch 'splints' (hard or soft) do nothing to reduce clenching. > They will offer some protection for the teeth. That's understood. I am just not convinced that in my case the NTI reduced clenching since I woke up with my jaw more sore than before. > Almost every time that I 'convert' a full arch splint wearer to an > NTI, the immediate reaction is, "Wow! That feels a lot better" My results were more along the line of "Ouch that hurts!!", "Not too painful, but why can't I open my mouth all the way?", to "I wish my jaw wasn't so sore in the morning" > I would speculate that yours was constructed incorrectly for your > case. All three of them ? > Almost every time that I 'convert' a full arch splint wearer to an > NTI, the immediate reaction is, "Wow! That feels a lot better" My reactions to the three NTIs were "Ouch that hurts!!", "Not too painful- but why can't I open my mouth properly?", "I wish my jaw wasn't so sore in the morning". The last one made by Dr Boyd is the least uncomfortable, but still 1/10 worse than the DIY night guard I mentioned above. Did you see Dr. Boyd in Bloomfield Hills? Signature/ Amatus / >> I would speculate that yours was constructed incorrectly for your >> case. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > least uncomfortable, but still 1/10 worse than the DIY night guard I > mentioned above. > Did you see Dr. Boyd in Bloomfield Hills? I don't think he works there anymore. We met at Dr Urich's office near Encinitas.. > > Did you see Dr. Boyd in Bloomfield Hills? > > I don't think he works there anymore. We met at Dr Urich's office near > Encinitas.. I guess I'm a bit confused. Did Dr. Boyd suggest that you would be better off getting the OTC item mentioned because he couldn't adjust it to meet your "needs"? Or was it the other person, Dr. Urich? Or did you make a decision outside of their recommendations? Webby > I guess I'm a bit confused. Did Dr. Boyd suggest that you would be > better off getting the OTC item mentioned because he couldn't adjust it > to meet your "needs"? Or was it the other person, Dr. Urich? Or did > you make a decision outside of their recommendations? It's a long story, but let me try to summarize it: after getting a crown my old night guard didn't fit any more. So I sought out a dentist to get an NTI. Based on the dentist listing on Dr Boyd's website I went to see some guy in my neighborhood. He did a very poor job with manufacturing and fitting the NTI, leaving me with far worse jaw pain after wearing that thing. I sent an email to the nti-tss webmaster recommending that this dentist be removed from their database to save others this experience. I got a response from Dr Boyd instead, offering to have the appliance fixed (by his colleague Dr Urich). So I went there and he created a new NTI with a better fit. After wearing it for a week though my jaw felt kind of "stuck" in a semi-open position. So I told him about this and we had a group meeting with Dr Boyd and Dr Urich. They noticed that my upper incisor would not rest on the DE but instead my jaw was pushed all the way back almost allowing the molars to touch. Dr Boyd then modified the NTI with a much larger biteplane so that my incisors would rest in the correct position. Based on scratch marks I can see that this is the case now, but when I wake up in the morning the jaw muscles are tense- much more so than without the NTI. I have sent another email to both dentists regarding these concerns but have not heard back. I don't blame them since it was essentially pro bono work and they certainly tried to get it right. Since I want to protect my teeth and don't want jaw pain I then went the DIY route. It's hard to believe that the full splint is supposed to be inferior when an OTC product provides greater relief than 3 custom made anterior splints.. Back me up a step or two to make sure I understand properly. You are NOT having headache pain, correct? Just pain in the joint itself? Signature/ Amatus / >> I guess I'm a bit confused. Did Dr. Boyd suggest that you would be >> better off getting the OTC item mentioned because he couldn't adjust it [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > to be inferior when an OTC product provides greater relief than 3 > custom made anterior splints.. > Back me up a step or two to make sure I understand properly. You are NOT > having headache pain, correct? Just pain in the joint itself? Exactly! It's mostly joint and muscle pain (plus some clicking on the right side when opening wide). You case does not really make sense. I would ask Jim what he saw with your permission. Signature/ Amatus / >> Back me up a step or two to make sure I understand properly. You are NOT >> having headache pain, correct? Just pain in the joint itself? > > Exactly! It's mostly joint and muscle pain (plus some clicking on the > right side when opening wide). > You case does not really make sense. I would ask Jim what he saw with your > permission. Sure. Let me know what you find out. If a soft guard last more than a week or two, you aren't doing a lot of clenching. My wife bit through a custom fitted on in 3 nights while I was in dental school. I call them 'chew toys'. D > Long story short, however, after 3 adjustments I have given up on the > thing and bought a DIY soft nightguard at the drug store- jaw & teeth > are feeling good again :) > > - Marco >If a soft guard last more than a week or two, you aren't doing a lot >of clenching. This is one aspect of this that still bothers me for my case. I have been told by at least 3 dentists and an oral surgeon that I am a severe clencher, but not a grinder. I have fractured several teeth (at least 5) and lost 2. I have been told that my jaw muscles are huge such that it affects the shape of my face. (No one has called me a chipmunk storing nuts yet.) But I had that horseshoe guard for 20 years. Both my currect dentist and the NTI doc were amazed that I hadn't chewed through it many times over. In fact, it shows little wear. I think they didn't really believe me when I told them that I wear it religiously (missing at most 1-2 nights a month). But that's true. The explanation that they came up with was no grinding. >My wife bit through a custom fitted on in 3 nights while I was in >dental school. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >> >> - Marco -- Lots of people clench during the work-day. I know I dent to clench when I really focus closely on my work. You don't fracture teeth without forceful clenching. You cannot grind your teeth back and forth if they are clenched together. You cannot fracture teeth by chewing food. Signature/ Amatus / > >>If a soft guard last more than a week or two, you aren't doing a lot [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > -- >Lots of people clench during the work-day. I know I dent to clench when I >really focus closely on my work. > >You don't fracture teeth without forceful clenching. You cannot grind your >teeth back and forth if they are clenched together. You cannot fracture >teeth by chewing food. You seem to have a lot of absolute opinions. -- I have been doing this for a "couple" of years now. Signature/ Amatus / > >>Lots of people clench during the work-day. I know I dent to clench when I [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > -- >>Lots of people clench during the work-day. I know I dent to clench when I >>really focus closely on my work. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > You seem to have a lot of absolute opinions. But usually he is correct <G>. The only statement that I would alter would be about fracturing teeth and chewing food. *If* a tooth is already developing a crack, and/or has a large filling, it is very possible that a cusp will fracture during eating. It is however, very, very unlikely to fracture a *healthy* tooth eating regular food. D Okay,,,,,, let me re-phrase. You don't damage good teeth by chewing. You can shatter teeth which already have severe fractures or decay. Signature/ Amatus / > >>>Lots of people clench during the work-day. I know I dent to clench when [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > D > Okay,,,,,, let me re-phrase. You don't damage good teeth by chewing. You > can shatter teeth which already have severe fractures or decay. Somebody has to pick the nits. You would do the same for me. ;-) Steve Any-time Signature/ Amatus / > >> Okay,,,,,, let me re-phrase. You don't damage good teeth by chewing. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > ;-) > Steve >Lots of people clench during the work-day. I know I dent to clench when I >really focus closely on my work. > >You don't fracture teeth without forceful clenching. You cannot grind your >teeth back and forth if they are clenched together. You cannot fracture >teeth by chewing food. Not so sure about that last line. Ever hit a chunk of bone in some ground meat ? Agree that the tooth is already weakened. |
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