Pam1066
01-19-2009, 08:12 PM
Hello: I am new to the boards, but unfortunately not new to ongoing TMJ pain. I was wondering if anyone has had luck with the NTI device. I have been wearing it for a few days and actually feel worse. I have tried various other splints to no avail.
Do these splints actually work or are we throwing our money out the window. I am beyond frustrated!
Any feedback would be appreciated!!
Thanks!
Do these splints actually work or are we throwing our money out the window. I am beyond frustrated!
Any feedback would be appreciated!!
Thanks!
Sponsor
temera2
01-20-2009, 10:10 AM
hey there , firstly welcome!!!:)
I'm afraid no the NTI device was no use to me!:(
But is it certainly different in every case of course!
It depends however are you a migraine sufferer, or more earaches?
I suffer primarily for earaches, i had a displaced disk they found a year after wearing the NTI so it wasnt helping me at all, however now i am in the upper and lower repositioning splints which have apparently fixed my displacement but i still get earaches caused by muscle spasm .. ARGH im so confused! but yeah what symptoms do you have?
Have you had any x rays??
Hope to hear from you soon! Hang in there, we are here for you champ!
I'm afraid no the NTI device was no use to me!:(
But is it certainly different in every case of course!
It depends however are you a migraine sufferer, or more earaches?
I suffer primarily for earaches, i had a displaced disk they found a year after wearing the NTI so it wasnt helping me at all, however now i am in the upper and lower repositioning splints which have apparently fixed my displacement but i still get earaches caused by muscle spasm .. ARGH im so confused! but yeah what symptoms do you have?
Have you had any x rays??
Hope to hear from you soon! Hang in there, we are here for you champ!
Pam1066
01-20-2009, 10:20 AM
Hi - Thanks for your input!!
I suffer from mostly tension type headaches in the back of my head/neck that almost feel like migraines. My whole scalp is also very sensitive. And of course I am a night time clencher. It just seems as though none of the splints work. I don't know how to stop night time clenching!!
It's good to know that I am not alone..alot of people don't understand how debilitating this pain can be. Thanks for listening!
I suffer from mostly tension type headaches in the back of my head/neck that almost feel like migraines. My whole scalp is also very sensitive. And of course I am a night time clencher. It just seems as though none of the splints work. I don't know how to stop night time clenching!!
It's good to know that I am not alone..alot of people don't understand how debilitating this pain can be. Thanks for listening!
CatherineH
01-20-2009, 11:15 AM
Your dentist may need to adjust your NTI. Have him/her check the vertical opening to be sure there is no contact on your back teeth or that you are not too open. You also want to be sure the discluding element is long enough that you are not moving off of it when you protrude or retrude your lower jaw.
Your Dr. may also want to check the angle of the discluding element.
Good luck! I have heard many success stories with the NTI. Don't give up just yet.
Your Dr. may also want to check the angle of the discluding element.
Good luck! I have heard many success stories with the NTI. Don't give up just yet.
StillHope
01-20-2009, 09:57 PM
Hi Pam1066,
These are very good remarks from CatherineH.
Clenching is usually the sign that there is something unbalanced with the bite. Based on your headaches it seems to me that you might be biting too strongly on your back teeth. Are they your natural teeth or did you have any work done on them: fillings, crowns, ...?
We surely understand how debilitating the jaw/dental pain is!
These are very good remarks from CatherineH.
Clenching is usually the sign that there is something unbalanced with the bite. Based on your headaches it seems to me that you might be biting too strongly on your back teeth. Are they your natural teeth or did you have any work done on them: fillings, crowns, ...?
We surely understand how debilitating the jaw/dental pain is!
temera2
01-21-2009, 08:16 AM
hey pam ,
i agree with everyone else's great advice on this board :)
Since you are plagued with the head ache , the NTI is the best splint i heard to help it, dont give up on it!
It only didn't work for me because i have earaches so i must have this other issue however do you agree that when you dont sleep well or have to awake early is flares up!
My tmj REALLY flares up when i worry, and even if i have a nightmare.. i never knew clenching was from an unbalanced bite :S I thought it was manageable if we control stress and our thinking processes eg via meditation so that when we sleep we dont clench and in turn are pain free? I am naive and it probably isnt that easy but i hope it is!
Have you been stressed alot? :confused: Dont give up hope honey we are all here!
i agree with everyone else's great advice on this board :)
Since you are plagued with the head ache , the NTI is the best splint i heard to help it, dont give up on it!
It only didn't work for me because i have earaches so i must have this other issue however do you agree that when you dont sleep well or have to awake early is flares up!
My tmj REALLY flares up when i worry, and even if i have a nightmare.. i never knew clenching was from an unbalanced bite :S I thought it was manageable if we control stress and our thinking processes eg via meditation so that when we sleep we dont clench and in turn are pain free? I am naive and it probably isnt that easy but i hope it is!
Have you been stressed alot? :confused: Dont give up hope honey we are all here!
temera2
01-21-2009, 08:17 AM
oh by the way , try using a heatpack whilst sleeping , its heaven on the jaw muscles to relax! Tell me if that helps honey
Much love XO :wave:
Much love XO :wave:
Pam1066
01-21-2009, 05:31 PM
Hi -Thank you all for your input. I also believe that my bite is a big issue. I have an open bite, so when I bite down I only hit on my back 4 teeth (two on each side) - I hope that makes sense! However, when I questioned 2 different TMJ specialists, they said my bite was not the issue and correcting it with braces again (I had them when I was a teen) would not be the solution. Any thoughts on correcting the bite to help TMJ or does it make it worse??
Thanks so much !!
Pam
Thanks so much !!
Pam
StillHope
01-21-2009, 09:32 PM
Sorry to repeat again that according to some dental sites over 90% (95 or 98??) of tmj problems are caused by bad occlusion. If your bite will be corrected to the functional state your tmj, headaches and possibly more symptoms that you might be suffering from will likely be better.
Did these tmj specialists examined your tmj and did any of the tests like MRI, ct Scan, etc>?? What is with your jaw from their point of view?
Are these 4 teeth your natural of crowns? When did your clenching started?
Did these tmj specialists examined your tmj and did any of the tests like MRI, ct Scan, etc>?? What is with your jaw from their point of view?
Are these 4 teeth your natural of crowns? When did your clenching started?
StillHope
01-21-2009, 09:38 PM
Hi Temera2,
May I ask you: what kind of heatpack are you using at night? Where do you place it, on your neck??
This sounds like a great idea to have smth like this at night.
May I ask you: what kind of heatpack are you using at night? Where do you place it, on your neck??
This sounds like a great idea to have smth like this at night.
temera2
01-21-2009, 09:57 PM
Pam , How are you honey, Stillhope posted some great questions, i think a repositioning splint should be able to help you , What did the tmj specialists say you needed however?
Hey still hope the heatpack i use is just one my mum brought from like a grocery shop i think it has some sort of rice in it and is like blue.. im so shocking at explaining but they are like worth $6.00 and a life saver on helping my muscles relax so i can alot of times have a good nights rest! When i used to have bone on bone throughout the whole of 2007 ( what a night mare it was :() and no splint therapy the heat pack didn't help me one bit however since the displacement was fixed last year with the splints the heatpack feels like heaven .. thats why i think its muscular, but i believe displacements should always be corrected if you have pain.
If someone doesn't have pain and a displacement i wouldn't bother because its only really when pain occurs when theres a massive problem hey .. i think why fix something which doesn't hurt but yeah look in you're grocery shops and just ask can i have a heatpack the when you sleep just rest it under you're jaw, leave the heatpack in the microwave for around a minute... i remember in my displacement disk days i used to scold my skin with the hotness of the heatpac as the ears were that excruciating :(
Now i just make it really warm and rest it under my jaw. i actually have two heat packs , in real bad times i heat both up and sleep on my back resting them both on my jaws.. but since the displacement has ended and no bone on bone , the severity of the earaches has reduced however its still consistent pain. Any ideas?
Thanks for listening and i hope i helped, Much Love :wave:
Hey still hope the heatpack i use is just one my mum brought from like a grocery shop i think it has some sort of rice in it and is like blue.. im so shocking at explaining but they are like worth $6.00 and a life saver on helping my muscles relax so i can alot of times have a good nights rest! When i used to have bone on bone throughout the whole of 2007 ( what a night mare it was :() and no splint therapy the heat pack didn't help me one bit however since the displacement was fixed last year with the splints the heatpack feels like heaven .. thats why i think its muscular, but i believe displacements should always be corrected if you have pain.
If someone doesn't have pain and a displacement i wouldn't bother because its only really when pain occurs when theres a massive problem hey .. i think why fix something which doesn't hurt but yeah look in you're grocery shops and just ask can i have a heatpack the when you sleep just rest it under you're jaw, leave the heatpack in the microwave for around a minute... i remember in my displacement disk days i used to scold my skin with the hotness of the heatpac as the ears were that excruciating :(
Now i just make it really warm and rest it under my jaw. i actually have two heat packs , in real bad times i heat both up and sleep on my back resting them both on my jaws.. but since the displacement has ended and no bone on bone , the severity of the earaches has reduced however its still consistent pain. Any ideas?
Thanks for listening and i hope i helped, Much Love :wave:
StillHope
01-21-2009, 10:28 PM
Thanks temera2! So you mean these heat packs stay warm pretty long?
I had one long ago with the gel which evaporated by now, it was cooling down quite fast. I have the jaw pain practically non-stop since September and it is muscular. The neck and other related muscles are like hurting rocks. I would not mind placing heat under my neck just did not want to use an electric heating pad while I sleep. I check it out what you say.
I had one long ago with the gel which evaporated by now, it was cooling down quite fast. I have the jaw pain practically non-stop since September and it is muscular. The neck and other related muscles are like hurting rocks. I would not mind placing heat under my neck just did not want to use an electric heating pad while I sleep. I check it out what you say.
temera2
01-22-2009, 10:29 AM
No worries stillhope, i promise the heat would instantly ease the muscle spasm..just one with rice in it from a grocery shop. We both need to work out what causes our muscle spasms.. any ideas???
We can get through this . lets hang in there! BIG HUG
We can get through this . lets hang in there! BIG HUG